The Atlanta Falcons are staring at something they haven’t shaken since 2017: a playoff drought that now stretches eight years, the second-longest run of its kind in the NFL behind only the New York Jets at 15 years.
That drought helped trigger a major reset. Atlanta moved on from two coaches over the last three years after those teams missed the postseason in what was supposed to be a favorable division, and the fallout reached beyond the sideline. Owner Arthur Blank cleared out the executive suite in January, reassigning CEO Rich McKay and firing general manager Terry Fontenot.
Now the Falcons are trying again with a new power structure. Matt Ryan is in place as President of Football, with Ian Cunningham at general manager and Kevin Stefanski as head coach. The challenge is immediate and steep, especially with one of the toughest early schedules Atlanta has seen in years.
If the Falcons are going to snap the streak in 2026, a lot has to break right. Here are the big ones.
Quarterback play sits at the center of everything. Atlanta has moved on from Kirk Cousins and brought in Tua Tagovailoa, while also adding three new wide receivers and a new offensive coordinator.
Last season, the Falcons ranked No. 24 in passer rating at 85.3 and No. 27 with just 19 passing touchdowns. Only the New York Jets were worse in touchdowns, and the Carolina Panthers weren’t far ahead at 24.
That’s the kind of gap that leaves no room for a stale passing game.
Whether the answer is Tagovailoa, Michael Penix, or some mix of both, Tommy Rees has to coax more production through the air. That’s the path to making life easier for All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson and keeping defenses from loading the box. If the passing game stalls again in 2026, Atlanta may be back in the quarterback market in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Robinson is the other engine. The Falcons will lean on him even more after losing Tyler Allgeier in free agency, and the No. 3 player in the NFL is going to have to stay on the field.
Robinson led the league in yards from scrimmage last season even while drawing stacked fronts designed to slow him down. A more dangerous passing attack could turn some of those tough carries into bigger gains.
Brian Robinson Jr. is still expected to handle most of the short-yardage work, which should help preserve Bijan’s legs. But there’s no mistaking where the offense starts.
Up front, right tackle Jawaan Taylor looks like the weak spot. Atlanta signed him away from the Kansas City Chiefs, but PFF ranked him No. 76 among 84 eligible offensive tackles.
For comparison, last year’s starter, Eli Wilkinson, came in at No. 53.
Taylor has been a steadier pass blocker than Wilkinson and Kaleb McGary, who missed last season and retired this summer, but he is not viewed as a strong run blocker. His lowest pass-blocking grade over five seasons is 66.4, and he reached a high of 76.4 in 2022.
Wilkinson posted a 61.0 last season, while McGary never topped 70 in six seasons with the Falcons and finished with a 63.8 in 2024.
Taylor doesn’t need to be a star. He just can’t be the guy who gets the whole thing in trouble. That matters especially for Tagovailoa and Penix, who will need cleaner protection than Atlanta got a year ago.
Receiver depth is another swing factor. Heading into 2025, the group looked like a strength with Drake London, Darnell Mooney coming off a season just shy of 1,000 yards, and Ray-Ray McCloud fresh off a career year in 2024.
Then the bottom dropped out. Mooney was ineffective after breaking his collarbone on the first day of training camp, and McCloud was released after four games, six catches, and 64 yards.
When London missed time, the Falcons were forced to patch together snaps with David Sills V, Dylan Drummond, KhaDarel Hodge, and Casey Washington. This offseason, Cunningham didn’t spend heavily at receiver, but he did bring in third-round pick Zachariah Branch, added Jahan Dotson, and welcomed back Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency.
On paper, Atlanta has London and three receivers who profile more like No. 3 options. Even that would be a step up from what the Falcons had last year, though Branch and Dotson both have a chance to prove they can be more.
The defensive line, meanwhile, has drawn some harsh outside labels, including some media outlets calling it the worst in the league. That doesn’t quite square with the production.
Brandon Dorlus led NFC defensive linemen with 8.5 sacks last season, and LaCale London had five sacks in just 270 snaps. Among NFL defensive linemen with at least five sacks, London finished first in snaps per sack at 54.0, while Dorlus was second at 54.7.
Justin Eboigbe of the Chargers was third with six sacks on 407 snaps, a rate of 67.8.
Atlanta also showed enough confidence in its depth to waive Zach Harrison and later bring him back to the practice squad after he had started when healthy last year. The team also passed on keeping Chris Williams on the 53-man roster after signing him to decent money in free agency. To address size, the Falcons traded for 326-pound Ghervon Dexter, and they now have more bulk with Maason Smith and Da’Shawn Hand to help against the run.
What has been described as the weakest area of the roster could wind up being one of its better ones.
Stefanski is expected to name a starting quarterback on Monday as the Falcons prepare to open on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday. That’s not exactly a comforting opener for Atlanta, which is just 2-16-1 all-time against Pittsburgh, its worst record against any opponent in the NFL.
And the road doesn’t get easier from there. Trips to Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and New Orleans are on the early slate, along with home games against the Ravens, Bears, and 49ers. If Atlanta is going to end its playoff drought, surviving that stretch may be just as important as any single roster decision.
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Falcons Suddenly Have A Defensive Opening Ulbrich Can't Ignore
The Falcons added another piece to a defense that has been stretched thin, claiming linebacker Yasir Abdullah off waivers to help shore up depth at the edge. With injuries and suspensions already affecting that room, the move gives Jeff Ulbrich a player who could be asked to bounce around the formation and fill multiple needs as Atlanta tries to keep the front seven functional.
Abdullahs arrival also suggests the Falcons are not done sorting out how they want to cover for the absence of key linebackers. Atlanta is expected to keep experimenting with personnel, especially with pass-rush help and special teams roles in play, and the door is now open for Ulbrich to see where Abdullah fits while James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker remain out of the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Still Have One Unsettling QB Question Before Week 1
The Falcons head into the final stretch before Week 1 with one of the leagues more awkward camp questions still hanging over them: who takes the first snap under center. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. have been battling for the job, and the team has yet to make the call public, leaving the door open for a late decision as the opener approaches.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that much of the answer may come down to whether Penix is ready to go, with Tagovailoa a possible Week 1 starter on a short leash. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has spoken positively about Penixs progress without naming a starter, and while a verdict could be close, there is still enough uncertainty for this to remain the Falcons most unsettling question entering the season. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Wright Is Making A Falcons Playoff Case Fans Hate
Nick Wright has kicked up a fresh round of debate around the Falcons by laying out a playoff path that sounds optimistic to some and irritating to plenty of others. The Fox Sports personality picked Tampa Bay to win the NFC South, but still projected Atlanta to reach the postseason at 9-8, with Michael Penix as the starting quarterback, a forecast that lands right in the middle of a fan base already trying to balance hope against the reality of injuries and roster questions.
The reaction is easy to understand, because the Falcons are still being treated like a longshot by the oddsmakers, who have them at +400 to win the division. For Atlanta, the bigger issue is not whether a hot take can get attention, but whether the pieces are actually in place for a late push, and whether the Penix timeline Wright is imagining becomes part of the conversation much sooner than some around the team expected. [Read more 🡒]