Falcons stock report: Who’s rising, falling after preseason loss to Broncos?

ATLANTA — Albeit in an uncompetitive effort, the Falcons’ 27-7 loss to the Broncos in the preseason opener Friday night offered a glimpse at a vast majority of the team’s roster.

The Falcons started Tua Tagovailoa under center, and he led the offense through two drives, tallying eight plays. Tagovailoa went 3-for-5 passing for 22 yards.

Defensively, the Falcons played much of their first-string front seven, or at least rotational players, throughout the first half. The unit operated without several injured players, headlined by defensive tackle LaCale London, linebacker Divine Deablo, cornerback Avieon Terrell, and safeties Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates III.

There weren’t many highlights, but a few players flashed. Others did the opposite.

Here’s a look at who’s rising and falling after the Falcons’ first preseason game under coach Kevin Stefanski.

STOCK UP

TE Kyle Pitts

While the Falcons’ first-team offense collectively had an unextraordinary outing, there’s reason for optimism surrounding Pitts’ night. He caught three passes for 22 yards and was the target of Tagovailoa’s four legitimate pass attempts — the other was tossed in the dirt under pressure.

Also of note, the Falcons ran multiple designed play-action bootlegs where the tight end came across the field for easy completions and solid gains. The Falcons didn’t run many exotic concepts, but bootlegs have been oft-used in training camp, too, which bodes well for Pitts as a run-after-catch threat.

LB Christian Harris

After seemingly falling behind rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. on the linebacker depth chart over the past week at training camp, Harris not only drew the start next to Daniels, but he finished as the team’s second-leading tackler with four stops.

The Falcons figure to heavily rotate their linebackers alongside Deablo, who’s battling an ankle injury but is expected to be ready for the season. Harris offered a reminder Friday night that he’s still firmly in the mix.

RB Tyler Goodson

The Falcons didn’t have much success on the ground, collecting only 59 rushing yards as a team, but Goodson was responsible for 28 of them on seven carries. He energized the crowd by bouncing a run to the outside in the first half, and he nearly churned his legs through several defenders for a touchdown in the second half.

Goodson helped himself in the race to be the Falcons’ third running back, and he contributed on special teams, too. He and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus were the team’s two primary kick returners, and Goodson notched a 30-yard return to open the second half.

STOCK DOWN

QB Cooper Rush

The Falcons gave Rush five drives to close the first half. Two ended in interceptions — one being a pick-six — and the other resulted in a punt. His efficiency wasn’t great, either. The 32-year-old signal caller finished the night 7-for-19 passing for 62 yards.

Rush is competing with undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who completed 6-of-12 passes for 50 yards in the second half, to be the team’s No. 3 quarterback. He’ll need to be better moving forward.

The right tackle position

Jawaan Taylor, the Falcons’ presumptive starting right tackle, dressed in pads and a helmet and went through pregame warmups, but he unsurprisingly didn’t play after practicing twice earlier this week for the first time all offseason.

That created an opportunity for Michael Jerrell, Ethan Onianwa and Brandon Walton — the three players who’ve rotated at right tackle in training camp — to make a statement. None particularly seized the moment.

Jerrell started at right tackle, then moved to the left side in place of Jake Matthews, who left with a minor injury, for the rest of the first half. He was the best of the three, and his versatility matters in his quest for the swing tackle job, but he proved leaky.

Onianwa took Jerrell’s spot at right tackle on Tagovailoa’s second series, and the seventh-round rookie allowed two pressures in five plays, including a quick loss to Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper. Walton also struggled in pass protection.

The Falcons hope Taylor will solve their woes, but their tackle depth is a concern right now.

The pass rush

James Pearce Jr. may have been the Falcons’ most consistently disruptive player Friday night, which is equal parts unsurprising and disappointing. The NFL announced Pearce, who paced the Falcons with 10 ½ sacks as a rookie last season, will be suspended for the first eight games of the season after an alleged altercation with ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson in February.

Pearce didn’t see the field in the first quarter, and while he only finished with two tackles, he forced the Broncos’ quarterbacks out of the pocket and/or into hurried throws multiple times. He also made positive contributions against the run.

The Falcons registered just one sack — split between Daniels and edge rusher Azeez Ojulari — and four quarterback hits Friday night. Without Pearce and Jalon Walker, who tore his ACL in practice Aug. 4, there’s a pass-rushing void on the team’s roster.

General manager Ian Cunningham must weigh his internal options and whether he likes his pieces enough to avoid adding through the free-agent or trade market. Friday night should push Cunningham toward the latter.