The Falcons’ defense is sending up alarms, and Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the Bears only made the problem louder. The final margin looked manageable, but Atlanta spent the afternoon chasing Caleb Williams, who came back from a hamstring injury and picked apart the secondary anyway. He finished 30 of 36 for 305 yards and a touchdown, a clean reminder that the Falcons’ pass defense has become a real issue in 2026.
That weakness has shown up all season, but the numbers are starting to pile up in a bad way. Atlanta has allowed 252 passing yards per game through six games, which ranks 28th in the NFL.
The run defense, which had been the team’s best unit through the first four games, has also cooled off now that the competition has stiffened. The result is a defense that no longer has a reliable backbone.
There are reinforcements coming, at least in theory. A.J.
Terrell is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and James Pearce Jr.’s suspension ends in a couple of games. But those returns don’t guarantee an immediate fix.
Both players could need time to shake off the rust, which is why the Falcons should be looking beyond internal help and into the trade market before the November 10 deadline.
One name that makes sense is Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen. He’s on a one-year deal in Philadelphia, and the Eagles may be ready to move him if they decide to sell.
The situation in Philly has shifted quickly: the 2-4 Eagles have dropped four straight, and they also lost Jalen Hurts for the season because of blood clots. That development carries obvious weight beyond football, but it also changes the direction of Philadelphia’s season.
With Hurts out and Lane Johnson retired, the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes have taken a major hit. Woolen was already a trade candidate, and now the logic for moving him only gets stronger.
Philadelphia appears willing to make deals, too, after sending Cam Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Baltimore for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. Since Woolen is 27 and set to hit free agency after the season, the Eagles would have every reason to get something back instead of losing him for nothing, especially with him turning in a solid year.
Atlanta has reasons to believe a deal could get done. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham already worked out a trade with Roseman when he brought in Sydney Brown during the offseason.
Cunningham also spent a couple of seasons working under Roseman in Philadelphia, so the relationship is already there. The Falcons’ front office also has plenty of other Eagles ties through assistant GM Jeff Scott and cap guy Bryce Johnston, which only makes Woolen more realistic as a target.
The timing matters, too. Atlanta has dropped two in a row, but the season is still alive.
The NFC South remains there for the taking, especially with Michael Penix Jr. playing well. The concern is Carolina, where Bryce Young has surged back into form.
He already carved up this defense in Week 2, and Atlanta cannot afford a repeat in the regular-season finale.
Even with Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski both in Year 1, the pressure is real. Winning the division would snap a nine-year playoff drought and a decade without a division title, and that kind of progress buys security in a league that rarely waits around. Woolen being on a one-year deal also gives Atlanta flexibility; the team wouldn’t need to make a long-term commitment until next spring.
If the Falcons can pull it off, adding Woolen and getting Terrell and Pearce back could transform the secondary from a liability into a strength. Atlanta still has a path to the NFC South, but it may need a splash move to get there.
In Other News...
Falcons Young Core Faces A Brutal Week 7 Measuring Stick
A midseason trip to a contender can be a harsh way to find out where a young roster really stands, and the Falcons are staring at exactly that kind of test in Week 7 of the 2026 season. The matchup is shaping up as a measuring stick for a developing core that is still trying to prove it belongs in the same conversation with the leagues upper tier, even if the projection around this game suggests the task is a steep one.
San Francisco is the kind of opponent that can expose every weak spot, especially when a team is still learning how to handle pressure on both sides of the ball. The 49ers are being treated as the standard in this forecast, and for Atlanta, the bigger question may not be whether it can spring an upset in this spot, but what the Falcons can learn from a game that already looks like one of the toughest on their schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Offense Has One Frustrating Shift Fans Can't Ignore
After a promising start, the Falcons have suddenly dropped two straight, and the frustration around the offense is starting to feel familiar for a team trying to build something around Michael Penix Jr. Atlantas early success came with a run-first approach that kept the attack balanced and gave the rookie quarterback a steadier rhythm, but the recent slide has invited sharper scrutiny of how the offense is being called and whether it has drifted from what was working.
Tommy Rees is now at the center of that conversation, with his play-calling drawing criticism for moving away from the scheme that helped the Falcons find their footing. The bigger concern for Atlanta is not just that the offense has cooled, but that key pieces are not being used in a way that maximizes what they do best, leaving fans wondering why a unit that looked so efficient not long ago has become so hard to trust. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Have A Major 49ers Injury Watch This Week
The Falcons Week 7 preparation has picked up an unexpected layer of intrigue because of whats happening on the other sideline. San Francisco wide receiver Mike Evans has been dealing with Achilles tendonitis after not finishing the 49ers recent win over Washington, and his status has quickly become one of the bigger health notes to track before Atlanta gets to work on that matchup.
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch said Evans availability for the game against the Falcons is still to be determined, with the team planning to monitor him over the next few days. For Atlanta, that makes this one worth watching closely, since Evans has been a key part of the 49ers passing game this season and his presence or absence could change how San Francisco approaches the matchup. [Read more 🡒]