The Atlanta Falcons have ruled out 22 players ahead of Friday’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins. As expected, most of the team’s starters won’t play, so we should get a nice long look at some players fighting for roster spots.
The only notable starter who appears to be playing is safety Richie Grant. Perhaps it’s a sign Grant’s job isn’t entirely secure, but we don’t want to read too much into anything during Week 1 of the preseason. Here’s the full list of players ruled out, per the team’s website:
- QB Kirk Cousins
- RB Bijan Robinson
- RB Tyler Allgeier
- WR Drake London
- WR Darnell Mooney
- WR Ray-Ray McCloud
- TE Kyle Pitts
- TE Charlie Woerner
- LT Jake Matthews
- LG Matthew Bergeron
- C Drew Dalman
- RG Chris Lindstrom
- RT Kaleb McGary
- DL Grady Jarrett
- DL David Onyemata
- ILB Nate Landman
- ILB Kaden Elliss
- ILB Troy Andersen
- CB A.J. Terrell
- CB Mike Hughes
- CB Dee Alford
- SS Jessie Bates III
On the bright side, fans can look forward to seeing Atlanta’s eight-player draft class, including first-round pick Michael Penix. Head coach Raheem Morris said he expects Penix to get a decent amount of playing time. Friday’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
