The Falcons’ first three games have already produced a wide range of performances, and not all of them have been encouraging. After opening 0-2, Atlanta’s season looks very different now that Michael Penix Jr. is back as the starter, and the team should not be judged by the mess created with emergency starter Cooper Rush at quarterback.
Even so, there are a few veterans the Falcons need more from as the season goes on. Injuries have played a role, and so have the circumstances around the first three games, but Kyle Pitts Sr., Jessie Bates and Divine Deablo all have a track record that suggests better days are ahead.
Pitts is the clearest example. Atlanta gave him a lucrative three-year, $53 million deal in the offseason, including $36 million guaranteed, and he now sits as the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL at $17.7 million. Through three games, he has just two catches for 20 yards.
That number does not tell the full story. Pitts has been open at times, but the first two games offered little help from the quarterback position outside of Bijan Robinson.
Rush missed him against the Steelers on what would have been a long touchdown catch. Once Penix returned, Pitts was targeted only twice against the Packers, who were busy trying to contain Drake London and Robinson.
He has also done some of his best blocking of his career to start the year, but that is not what comes with an $18 million price tag. If the Falcons are going to get the kind of return they expected, they have to feature him more.
They will. London cannot handle the full receiving load every week.
Bates has been quieter than expected as well, even though he still leads the team with 17 tackles. The bigger plays just have not shown up yet.
Atlanta’s defensive front has been one of the league’s best, and that has taken some pressure off the back end. It also serves as a reminder that strong teams are usually built front to back, not the other way around.
His slow start may be tied to the fact that he was limited in training camp for several weeks and is still getting back into shape. Bates carries the fourth-highest salary cap hit of any safety in the NFL, and he is set to hit free agency after the season. He will turn 30 in February, and a high-priced safety may not be the direction general manager Ian Cunningham wants to take.
Deablo has dealt with a similar early-season issue. He was also carrying an injury through training camp and has looked a step slow in lateral pursuit and coverage. He has 11 tackles, which leaves him behind four defensive backs for the team lead.
Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels has already overshadowed him in the opening weeks, and Deablo is also scheduled to be a free agent after this season. Right now, he is not helping his own market.
In Other News...
Falcons Defense Could Seize Control In Division Showdown
Monday night brings a familiar kind of pressure for the Falcons, only with more at stake than usual: a trip to New Orleans with first place in the NFC South on the line. Atlantas defense has built its identity around stopping the run, and that strength now meets a Saints offense that may have to lean even harder on its ground game with Travis Etienne expected to sit because of a hamstring injury.
For the Falcons, that is exactly the sort of matchup that can tilt a division race. New Orleans still has Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and CJ Donaldson available in the backfield, but Kamara has not been as effective as he once was as a runner, which puts even more weight on a group that already ranks among the leagues toughest against the run. If Atlanta can control that area again, the rest of the night starts to look a lot simpler. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Judon Gets Another Shot To Prove Raheem Morris Right
Matt Judon is getting another crack at the kind of opportunity that can change a veterans season, this time with the San Francisco 49ers. The four-time Pro Bowler is signing to the practice squad and could be elevated to the active roster, giving a thin edge-rush group some much-needed depth while Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are out.
For Falcons followers, the more familiar part of the story is the connection back to Raheem Morris, who once coached Judon in Atlanta before taking over as the 49ers defensive coordinator. Morris has long valued disruptive pressure off the edge, and Judon now has a chance to show he still fits that mold in a different locker room, under circumstances that could put him back in the rotation quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Rookies Are Already Changing Atlantas Depth Chart
Through the first three weeks, Atlantas rookie class has already started to leave a mark on the depth chart, with Avieon Terrell, Zachariah Branch, Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. all showing why the Falcons were eager to get them on the field. Their roles and playing time have been trending in a way that suggests this group is not just filling out the roster, but pushing for real opportunities as the season develops.
The early returns have been encouraging enough to change the conversation around where these rookies fit, and in some cases, how quickly they can rise. Snap counts and on-field impact are still evolving, which is exactly what makes this such an interesting subplot for Atlanta - the Falcons appear to have found a class that could keep reshaping its pecking order as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]