Falcons ranked near the bottom in ESPN’s new power rankings

Power rankings should always be taken with a grain of salt, but especially so when they come out during the NFL offseason. The Atlanta Falcons were among the busiest teams at the start of free agency, using roughly two-thirds of their cap space to address needs on defense and retain two former first-round picks on offense.

Now that the flashy part of free agency is behind us, ESPN has unveiled its way-too-early 2023 NFL power rankings. Despite Atlanta’s many signings, the team finds itself near the bottom at No. 28. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein named linebacker Kaden Elliss as Atlanta’s most “under-the-radar” signing:

The Falcons, with $233 million-plus spending in one day, didn’t do much under the radar. But bringing in Elliss could be a nice move for them. He doesn’t have huge stats — seven sacks in his first year as a true defensive starter — but if any staff would know his potential, it is Atlanta’s because of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Nielsen and Elliss were in New Orleans together last season.

As for the NFC South as a whole, all four teams were ranked 20th or lower. The Carolina Panthers were ranked the highest at No. 21, as shown below:

Rank	Team	Movement	Under Radar Signing	2022 Record
21	Panthers	+2	Vonn Bell	7-10
24	Saints	+4	Juwan Johnson	7-10
28	Falcons	-2	Kaden Elliss	7-10
29	Buccaneers	-4	Baker Mayfield	8-9

Atlanta has named quarterback Desmond Ridder the starter going into 2023 and the team added two more potential starters over the last week — defensive end Calais Campbell and wide receiver Scotty Miller.

Make sure to check out our updated starting lineup projection and free agency tracker to keep up with the team’s latest signings.