With training camp still a few weeks away, the Falcons are stuck in the middle of the NFL’s long offseason drip - and the latest round of national coverage gave Atlanta plenty to chew on. From a possible Tyreek Hill move to a Myles Garrett blockbuster in a mock draft, the Falcons keep popping up in the league-wide conversation.
One of the stranger ideas floating around came from Garrett Podell at CBS Sports, who listed Atlanta as a possible destination for former Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill. Podell’s logic centered on a reunion with Tagovailoa, and he didn’t exactly bury the lede on what Hill would mean for the Falcons’ receiver room.
"Hill could easily leapfrog Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to be WR2 for the Atlanta Falcons behind only Drake London," wrote Podell. "He also became the first player in NFL history with multiple 1,700-yard receiving seasons after his first two seasons catching passes from Tua Tagovailoa in 2022 and 2023, and Tagovailoa is now in Atlanta."
NFL.com took a different route in its seven-round mock draft of players already in the league, and somehow Atlanta still found itself circling quarterback drama. In Chad Reuter’s "win-now" exercise, the Falcons landed Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in Round 1 and also came away with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback. Bijan Robinson was the lone Falcons player taken in the first round, landing with the Green Bay Packers.
"New Falcons skipper Kevin Stefanski brings the future Hall of Famer along with him from Cleveland, setting his defensive foundation for next season," wrote Reuter.
Elsewhere, Falcons legend Julio Jones got a serious nod from Pro Football Focus. PFF named him a starting receiver on its All-PFF Team of the last 20 years, placing him at WR1 ahead of Antonio Brown, with DeAndre Hopkins in the slot. Jones edged out Calvin Johnson for the spot, and Nathan Jahnke pointed to the production that separated him from the pack.
"Julio Jones stands out from the group, as his 2.53 yards per route run were the most by the 57 receivers with at least 4,000 routes, and he accomplished this while tallying the second-most receiving yards," wrote PFF's Nathan Jahnke. "Antonio Brown maintained the highest target rate of those 57 receivers and posted the second-highest rate of receiving a +1.0 grade or better."
The division picture also got a little more interesting thanks to ESPN’s Ben Solak, who went with the Saints as his NFC South pick for 2026. Solak said New Orleans has enough pieces to make a run despite finishing behind Atlanta and the rest of the division.
"The Saints look like an ascendant team to me," wrote Solak. "They have a young quarterback good enough to win with, sharp coaches on both sides of the ball, good offensive line play and enough young bets at the skill positions for this offense to be more than just Olave.
They're a few blue-chip players away from true contention, but in the measly NFC South with a fourth-place schedule? A divisional title is achievable."
And if you want another quarterback ranking to stir the pot, CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo placed Tua Tagovailoa in the bottom tier of NFL passers, grouping him in the "holdovers and placeholders" category.
"Like Murray and Watson, Tagovailoa is another former Pro Bowler who is competing for a starting job," writes DeArdo. "While he has shown flashes of his potential (especially in terms of his accuracy), head injuries have largely defined Tagovailoa's career up to this point."
For Atlanta, the bigger picture stays the same: the offseason chatter keeps linking the Falcons to big names, major swings and a quarterback situation that remains very much in the spotlight.
In Other News...
DeAngelo Hall Sounds Off On Falcons Coaching Reset
Raheem Morris exit still has some lingering aftereffects around Atlanta, and DeAngelo Hall was among those who thought the Falcons might have given their coach another year. Hall said he was disappointed Morris did not get a longer runway after the team finished with a strong stretch to close the season, a run that at least hinted at momentum even though the overall record still fell short of the standard in Atlanta.
The Falcons ended up at 8-9 and out of the playoffs again, which kept the pressure on the organization to make a change. Hall also acknowledged the appeal of Kevin Stefanskis track record in Cleveland, pointing to a coach with clear credibility as the Falcons move into a reset that still leaves plenty of questions about how much of last seasons progress can carry over. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons May Already Be Seeing A Quarterback Gamble Pay Off
Tua Tagovailoas fresh start in Atlanta already has a different feel than the uneasy ending he left behind in Miami. The Dolphins moved on from him earlier this offseason for financial reasons despite his contract and injury history, and the Falcons brought him in on a prove-it deal with the hope that a change of scenery could get him back on track. So far, minicamp has offered reason for optimism, and it has at least put a real spotlight on what the Falcons might have stumbled into with the veteran quarterback.
Michael Penix Jr. remains in the mix as he rehabs a torn ACL and works toward being cleared for full contact by training camp, but Tagovailoas early returns have only sharpened the conversation around Atlantas quarterback room. There is also a football fit to consider, with the Falcons built around timing and accuracy and a supporting cast that should give any passer help, while Miami is trying to move forward with Malik Willis and a less convincing setup around him. For now, the gamble looks like it could be paying off quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Is Already A Star But Falcons Fans See One Debate
Bijan Robinson has already done enough in three NFL seasons to look like one of the leagues premier running backs, and Falcons fans have plenty to appreciate as he heads into Year 4. His production has climbed in both the run and pass game, he earned a Pro Bowl nod in his second season and he led the league in scrimmage yards last year, giving Atlanta a centerpiece who can shape an offense in multiple ways.
Still, the conversation around Robinson is not just about how dynamic he is, but how complete he can become. Ball security and touchdown production have become part of the debate as he prepares for a season with a new coaching staff, and with a major extension looming, the margin for those details only gets smaller. For a player already viewed as a star, the next step may be less about proving his talent and more about answering the one question fans keep circling. [Read more 🡒]