The Falcons spent the offseason flooding the roster with competition, and that’s bad news for a few familiar names.
Atlanta brought in 22 free agents, added six players in the NFL Draft, and swung trades for two more. That’s 30 new bodies fighting for spots on the 53-man roster, before you even count the other free agents still in the mix. With general manager Ian Cunningham saying before free agency that his aim was to raise the floor of the roster, the message is pretty clear: some veterans are going to lose out when camp breaks.
A few of those battles are especially worth watching.
One of the more crowded spots is linebacker, where Bertrand suddenly finds himself under real pressure. He opened last season as the No. 3 linebacker and stepped in for Divine Deablo after Deablo was injured in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers. Bertrand then started the next game against the Miami Dolphins, a game in which Atlanta was down 34-3 in the fourth quarter.
In that Dolphins loss, Bertrand was on the field more than anyone else on either team, logging 68 defensive snaps and 12 more on special teams. But the workload didn’t last. His defensive snaps were cut in half the following week, and by Week 11 the Falcons had turned to Ronnie Harrison until Deablo came back.
Now the depth chart looks even tighter. Atlanta lost Kaden Elliss to free agency, but added Christian Harris and Channing Tindall and drafted Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. Bertrand was a key depth piece in 2025, but he’ll have to fight hard just to keep that role.
The same kind of squeeze is showing up at nickel and corner. Bowman, a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was converted from safety to big nickel and functioned as a starter in Jeff Ulbrich’s 3-3-5 base defense. He handled the role well before getting hurt after the Week 4 game against the Commanders.
He didn’t get back until Week 10 against the Colts, and then his season ended when he ruptured an Achilles tendon before the Week 12 game against the Saints. Bowman missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp while recovering, and he’s a long shot to be ready for the start of the season. 2026 could end up being a rehab year for him.
That injury also opens the door for a different kind of roster squeeze involving Mike Hughes. The Falcons used their first pick in the 2026 draft on Avieon Terrell, and with Bowman sidelined, either Hughes or Terrell could open the season at nickel.
Darnay Holmes is also getting work there, even though he isn’t as strong in coverage as Hughes or Terrell. If Ulbrich decides Holmes helps more on early downs against the run or against bigger offensive packages, Hughes could be the one pushed aside.
He’s not in danger of disappearing entirely, but his hold on a starting job is no longer as secure as it was over the last three seasons in Atlanta. At worst, he’d still be a strong third corner.
Wide receiver brings another tricky decision. When the Falcons signed Olamide Zaccheaus, the expectation was that he would slide into the third receiver role and spend most of his time in the slot.
Zaccheaus is back for a second stint in Atlanta after starting his career there, and over four seasons with the Falcons he posted 94 catches for 1,328 yards and eight touchdowns. His best year came in 2022, when he finished with 522 yards and three touchdowns before spending the next three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears.
He would be an upgrade over what Atlanta used at the position last year after moving on from Ray-Ray McCloud. The Falcons leaned on practice squad options such as David Sills V and Dylan Drummond.
But the Zaccheaus signing didn’t close the door, because Cunningham also drafted Zachariah Branch from the Georgia Bulldogs in the third round. Branch has the kind of explosive ability that could push Zaccheaus into a reserve role.
Then there’s the biggest question of all: quarterback. Penix was the starter last season before tearing his ACL in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, and he also missed the blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 8.
In 12 starts, he went 4-8, showing big arm talent at times but struggling badly when pressured. Those issues helped drag Atlanta to a 30th-ranked offense on third down, where the Falcons converted just 33.3% of the time.
Penix still has to get healthy first. He was not cleared as a full participant at OTAs or minicamp, which was expected. Veterans report to Flowery Branch next week, and the first real checkpoint will be whether he’s ready on day one of training camp.
If he isn’t ready by Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tagovailoa would be the starter by default. He’s looking to bounce back after being discarded in Miami, and that would give him a chance to make the job his.
If Penix is cleared, the race gets more complicated. He’ll have to beat out Tagovailoa, show more consistency as a passer, and stay healthy. That’s a lot to ask, but that’s the reality Atlanta created by stacking the roster with so much new competition.
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