FLOWERY BRANCH – Let’s get this out of the way, Bijan Robinson is the No. 1 running back on the Falcons’ freshly minted 53-man roster.
Now, on to the other 52 players.
There were no major surprises with the Falcons’ cutdown.
Players who started games in 2022 like Timmy Horne, Darren Hall and Cornell Armstrong were on the bubble in our roster analysis. The Falcons want to get Horne back on the practice squad.
The one long shot to make the initial roster was tight end John FitzPatrick over Parker Hesse.
FitzPatrick, the former Marist and Georgia standout, spent last season on injured reserve after surgery on both feet.
Hesse, a converted tight end who played defensive end at Iowa, was one of the players over the first two seasons that the Falcons needed. He was a gritty blocker, and he caught 14 passes for 132 yards.
He could find his way back to the practice squad. Everyone knows Arthur Smith, like Dan Reeves, would like to carry lots of tight ends.
FitzPatrick, who was drafted in the sixth round (213th overall) out of Georgia in the NFL draft in 2022, returned late last season to get some practice time.
FitzPatrick, who’s 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, ran fluidly on his repaired feet, but dropped some passes over training camp.
FitzPatrick played from 2019-21 for the Bulldogs. He played in 38 games and made 12 starts. FitzPatrick spent a lot of time hitting the weight room with strength-and-conditioning coach Thomas Stallworth.
“Then my focus was just being healthy and then being 100% with the playbook,” FitzPatrick told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution early in camp. “Then with my (keys) in the run game being 100% with that so I could come into training camp confident.”
The Falcons are certainly not finished, and some of the players on the roster will end up on the practice squad and vice versa.
One thing that is striking is the projected starting lineup for the opener against the Panthers on Sept. 10 is at near 50% overhaul of the unit that lineup in the regular-season finale against the Bucs in January.
Here’s the breakdown:
On offense, the Falcons are projected to have three (27%) or four (36%) new starters from unit that closed the 2022 regular season against Tampa Bay: wide receiver Mack Hollins for Olamide Zacheaus, left guard Matthew Bergeron for Matt Hennessy, tight end Kyle Pitts for Hesse and possibly rookie running back Robinson for Tyler Allgeier.
The defense is projected to have six new starters (54.5%) under new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
Here’s the breakdown: outside linebacker Bud Dupree for Ade Ogundeji, defensive tackle David Onyemata for Abdullah Anderson, defensive end Calais Campbell for Horne, inside linebacker Kaden Elliss for Rashaan Evans, cornerback Tre Flowers or Jeff Okudah for Armstrong and safety Jessie Bates for Jaylinn Hawkins.
Here’s a look at the Falcons’ projected depth chart:
OFFENSE
WR Mack Hollins, KhaDarel Hodge
TE Kyle Pitts, John FitzPatrick
LT Jake Matthews, Joshua Miles
LG Matthew Bergeron, Jovaughn Gwyn
C Drew Dalman, Ryan Neuzil
RG Chris Lindstrom, Kyle Hinton
RT Kaleb McGary, Joshua Miles
TE Jonnu Smith, MyCole Pruitt
WR Drake London, Scotty Miller, Josh Ali
FB Keith Smith
RB Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson
QB Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Logan Woodside
DEFENSE
DL Grady Jarrett, Albert Huggins
DL David Onyemata, Ta’Quon Graham
DL Calais Campbell, Joe Gaziano, Zach Harrison
OLB Bud Dupree, Lorenzo Carter
ILB Kaden Elliss, Tae Davis
ILB Troy Andersen, Nate Landman
OLB Arnold Ebiketie, DeAngelo Malone
CB A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes
S Jessie Bates, Jaylinn Hawkins
S Richie Grant, DeMarcco Hellams
NB Dee Alford, Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III
CB Tre Flowers, Jeff Okudah
SPECIAL TEAMS
K Younghoe Koo
P Bradley Pinion
LS Liam McCullough
H Bradley Pinion
PR Dee Alford, Mike Hughes
KOR Cordarrelle Patterson
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