The Atlanta Falcons are sitting at the wrong end of the NFL age chart after the first 53-man roster cut day, and the number tells the story: an average player age of 27 years and 220 days. That makes them the oldest team in the league, just ahead of the Los Angeles Rams and Aaron Rodgers’s Steelers by less than two weeks.
For a franchise that has not been in the playoffs since 2017, the sight of Kevin Stefanski’s Falcons at the top of the league’s age list is a little jarring. But there’s a reason the roster tilts that way.
Kicker Nick Folk, at 41 years old and turning 42 in November, is the fourth-oldest player in the NFL, and that alone pulls the average up. The Falcons also have 21-year-old rookie cornerback Avieon Terrell helping offset the numbers.
Two of the team’s youngest players, pass rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, are both 22, but they do not count in this assessment because Pearce is suspended and Walker is on IR.
The age profile also comes with a built-in reset button. Of the 90 training camp contracts, 44 were one-year deals or expiring contracts, which means the roster can swing younger heading into 2027. Only two of the nine players who are at least 30 years old - Nick Folk and Jake Matthews - have contracts that run into 2027.
That group of veterans includes Folk at 41, Matthews at 34, Za'Darius Smith at 33, Corey Levin at 32, Cooper Rush at 32, Samson Ebukam at 31, Austin Hooper at 31, Mike Ford Jr. at 31, and Da'Shawn Hand at 30.
There’s also a clear developmental thread already taking shape behind them. Rookie quarterback Jack Strand could, ideally, lock down the QB2 job for 2027 over 32-year-old Cooper Rush.
Rookie center James Brockermeyer is expected to spend this season growing on the practice squad, with the hope that time under offensive line coach Bill Callahan helps him move into the backup role behind starter Ryan Neuzil next year instead of Corey Levin. The team has already done something similar at center with Drew Dalman and Neuzil.
And the future financial picture backs up the idea that the roster will keep shifting younger. The Falcons have the most 2027 cap space in the NFL at $136,596,980, even after recent deals for Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Matthew Bergeron, and Kyle Pitts. They also hold a full set of picks in the 2027 NFL Draft: a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-rounder.
For all the roster changes Ian Cunningham has made, including bringing in Gervon Dexter and Maason Smith to try to reshape the defensive interior, the bigger point is simple: this was always going to take time, and the resources to keep turning the roster over are on the way.
In Other News...
Falcons QB Plan May Already Be Telling Fans Everything About Penix
The Falcons quarterback picture already has a timeline attached to it, and that alone says plenty about where Michael Penix Jr. stands in the teams thinking. According to NFL Networks Cameron Wolfe, Atlanta wants to eventually put Penix back in the lineup to get a real evaluation of him before the 2027 NFL Draft, even if Tua Tagovailoa opens the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For a team still sorting out its long-term answer under center, the plan suggests this fall is as much about information as it is about winning games.
Atlantas caution also fits with the injury side of the equation, since the team is being careful not to rush Penix back from a 2025 ACL injury. That could shape the early-season decision, but it does not settle the bigger question, because the Falcons are still undecided on who should start in 2026. For now, both Penix and Tagovailoa remain in the mix, and the way Atlanta handles the opening weeks may end up revealing how the organization really views its quarterback future. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Practice Squad Move May Be Hinting At Another O-Line Decision
The Falcons added offensive lineman Josh Thompson to the practice squad, a depth move that makes sense with backup guards Kyle Hinton and Kam Dewberry dealing with injuries. Thompson, an undrafted free agent out of LSU, spent the summer with the Chiefs and now fills one of Atlantas remaining practice squad openings.
For a team that has already been shuffling through the bottom of the roster to keep the offensive line intact, this is the kind of move that can signal more than just emergency insurance. It may also hint at a short-term decision coming elsewhere along the front, even if the exact next step remains unclear for now. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Took A Risk Up Front They Could Regret Fast
With injuries and suspensions already thinning out the defensive front, the Falcons had to make a hard call up front this week. General manager Ian Cunningham said waiving Zach Harrison to create room for three waiver claims was not an easy decision, a sign of how tightly Atlanta is managing the roster while trying to patch together the line for the stretch ahead.
Harrison did not stay away for long, returning on the practice squad to give Atlanta some veteran leadership and extra depth behind the active group. For a team already navigating turnover in the trenches, keeping a familiar presence around the building can matter, even if the move also underscores how little margin for error the Falcons have right now. [Read more 🡒]