1. The no-spin zone: With the dust settled after free agency and the draft, most NFL rosters have undergone major overhauls.
The Falcons have undergone their roster makeover this offseason, but the folks at Pro Football Focus were not too impressed.
They ranked the Falcons, who have had five consecutive losing seasons, as having the 26th best roster in the NFL.
General manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith are set to enter their third season in 2023.
The offensive line, which couldn’t protect quarterback Matt Ryan, has turned into the team’s biggest a strength, according to PFF. The run-blocking unit features Chris Lindstrom, and he was called the best right guard in the league. They also noted the solid play of tackles Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary.
They are projecting second-round pick Matthew Bergeron to win the left guard spot. However, Matt Hennessy was working with the first-team offense in OTAs as the rookie tries to get settled in the NFL.
The Falcons’ biggest weakness is quarterback Desmond Ridder, who started four games last season, according to PFF.
“It’s tough to believe much in Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at quarterback, though,” Dalton Wasserman and Jim Wyman wrote for PFF. “Whoever starts likely won’t be expected to throw more than 25 times per game.”
Tight end Kyle Pitts is called the X-factor, and the rookie to watch is running back Bijan Robinson.
“Pitts has to be at least the second-best option in order for the Falcons to overcome their shaky quarterback situation,” PFF wrote.
They were high on Robinson, but they don’t believe the Falcons will be a .500 team. They took the under on the projected 8.5 win total for the Falcons.
The Falcons have gone 7-10 the past two seasons and are hoping to return to respectability in 2023. The Falcons have the easiest schedule in the league, but PFF believes they’ll be a seven-win team.
“The Falcons feel like a seven-win team that could come out on top in a couple more games if their quarterbacks overachieve,” PFF wrote.
2. PFF projected 2023 starting lineup: Here’s how PFF projects the starting lineup.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
QB Desmond Ridder (55.9)/DL Grady Jarrett (71.3)
RB Bijan Robinson (95.3*)/DL Calais Campbell (76.9)
RB Tyler Allgeier (86.7)/Edge Lorenzo Carter (60.5)
WR Drake London (83.2)/Edge Arnold Ebiketie (64.5)
WR Mack Hollins (63.8)/Edge Bud Dupree (58.2)
WR Scotty Miller (55.6)/LB Kaden Elliss (81.5)
TE Kyle Pitts (72.7)/LB Mykal Walker (58.7)
LT Jake Matthews (77.2)/CB A.J. Terrell (63.9)
LG Matthew Bergeron (75.2*)/CB Darren Hall (65.5)
C Drew Dalman (65.9)/CB Jeff Okudah (59.4)
RG Chris Lindstrom (95.0)/S Jessie Bates III (71.9)
RT Kaleb McGary (86.6)/S Richie Grant (64.9)
*2022 NCAA grade; **2021 NFL grade; ***2021 NCAA grade
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC
3. Ridder’s offseason focus: Ridder is focused on controlling the offense during the OTAs.
“Alignment and everything that we do pre-snap, those are all things that we can control,” Ridder said. “I felt like we’ve done a pretty good job of that. Obviously, there are some areas where we can improve on. As far as the pre-snap stuff goes, we’ve been pretty (good with) that. So, we’ll just keep continuing to improve.”
4. Hart fitting in: Former Seattle wide receiver Penny Hart, who played at Georgia State, is fitting in with the Falcons.
Hart, who played at Kings’ Ridge Christian School and is a native of Roswell, faced the Falcons last season in Week 3. The Falcons won 27-23 on Sept. 25 in Seattle. Hart had a catch for 15 yards and assisted on a tackle on special teams. He played six snaps on offense and nine on special teams.
“It’s amazing,” Hart said. “These guys work. That’s what I pride myself on. Being able to connect with those guys and everybody on this team. Just having the attitude to go out and work and wanting to get better. It’s amazing and these guys are extremely skilled.”
The Falcons are in the second week of their OTAs.
“I like that it’s really fast-paced,” Hart said. “It’s about getting in and grinding. It’s an extremely versatile offense as well to where you can be at any position at any given time. We do a really good job of doing that.”
5. Roster not complete: While PFF is not impressed with the Falcons’ roster, the team looks at the roster as an ongoing project.
“If you have chance to enhance the roster, there is nothing that’s going to be given,” Smith said. “It has to be earned. If you can’t do that. … We’re in a great organization that allows us to bring people in to tryout. It doesn’t mean that it ever gets any easier when you have to make those moves. You wish you could have 150 players. You can’t.”
6. Biermann divorce update: Things are getting messy in Kroy Biermann’s divorce case. Accusations of weed smoking and gambling have made their way to court documents. Biermann played for the Falcons from 2008-15.
The AJC’s Rodney Ho has the update.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC
7. Drake London’s goals: Wide receiver Drake London was asked about his goals for the 2023 season.
“Honestly, just to stack wins,” London said. “I would not say anything personal, right now, for me. As a team, as a collective, I think we want to win as much as we possibly can.”
8. Injury report: Here are the players who ended the season on injured reserve – running back Caleb Huntley (ruptured Achilles), tight ends Kyle Pitts (knee surgery) and John FitzPatrick (feet), guards Jalen Mayfield (back) and Justin Shaffer (high ankle sprain) and defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham (knee).
FitzPatrick and Shaffer are back in action. Huntley is rehabbing. Pitts was not seen at the open OTA last week.
9. Depth chart: Here’s what the updated depth chart looks like after the second week of OTAs:
OFFENSE
QB – Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Logan Woodside, Austin Aune
RB – Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Avery Williams, *Caleb Huntley, Carlos Washington Jr.
FB – Keith Smith, Clint Ratkovich
WR – Drake London, KhaDarel Hodge, Frank Darby, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Justin Marshall
TE – *Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Parker Hesse, Feleipe Franks, *John FitzPatrick, Tucker Fisk
LT – Jake Matthews, Barry Wesley
LG – Kyle Hinton, Matt Hennessy, *Jalen Mayfield, *Justin Shaffer, Matthew Bergeron
C – Drew Dalman, Ryan Neuzil, Jonotthan Harrison, Jovaughn Gwyn
RG – Chris Lindstrom, Jovaughn Gwyn
RT – Kaleb McGary, Tyler Vrabel, Joshua Miles, Ethan Greenidge
WR – Mack Hollins, Scotty Miller, Slade Bolden, Josh Ali, Keilahn Harris, Xavier Malone
DEFENSE
OLB – Lorenzo Carter, Bud Dupree, DeAngelo Malone
DE – Grady Jarrett, Timothy Horne, LaCale London
NT – Eddie Goldman, *Ta’Quon Graham, Jalen Dalton
DE – David Onyemata, Joe Gaziano, Ikenna Enechukwu
OLB – Calais Campbell, Ade Ogundeji, Arnold Ebiketie, Zach Harrison
ILB – Kaden Elliss, Dorian Etheridge, Tae Davis, Andre Smith Jr.
ILB – Troy Andersen, Mykal Walker, Nate Landman, Mike Jones Jr.
CB – A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Natrone Brooks, Clark Phillips III
FS – Jessie Bates III, Jaylinn Hawkins, Micah Abernathy, Lukas Denis
SS – Richie Grant, Jamal Peters, DeMarcco Hellams, Clifford Chattman
CB – Jeff Okudah, Cornell Armstrong, Tre Flowers, Dee Alford, Darren Hall
NB – Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III
SPECIAL TEAMS
K – Younghoe Koo
P/H – Bradley Pinion
LS – Liam McCullough
PR – Avery Williams
KOR – Cordarrelle Patterson or Avery Williams
Note: Players who ended the season on injured reserve have an asterisk.
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