The Atlanta Falcons couldn’t address every roster need during the 2024 NFL offseason but solidified the most important position by signing quarterback Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. While question marks remain at cornerback and outside linebacker, the team has a talented enough core to overcome these potential issues.
Pro Football Focus has begun to unveil its ranking of the NFL’s top 50 players for the 2024 season. Thus far (through spots 50-31), two Falcons have been included. Safety Jessie Bates III was the highest-ranked player on the team, landing at No. 37 on PFF’s list:
A true ballhawk at safety, Jessie Bates III showed last season that he can take his talents to a new defense and still ball out. He notched six interceptions for the Falcons, earning a 90.2 PFF coverage grade to narrowly exceed the best mark of his Bengals career at the first time of asking. Bates is an elite coverage safety with the range to punish ill-advised passes. — Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus
Bates signed with the team as a free agent last year and his impact was felt almost immediately. The 27-year-old had two interceptions in Atlanta’s season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers. Bates should continue to be a difference-making presence in the secondary for at least the next few years.
The second Falcons player on the list came one spot later. Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom was ranked at No. 38 in PFF’s top 50:
It’s getting harder and harder to argue against Chris Lindstrom as the best guard in football after the past few seasons. He backed up a spectacular 2022 with a 2023 season almost as good, allowing just 15 total pressures and earning an 87.5 PFF run-blocking grade. He was one of only two guards to post 74.0-plus grades as both a run blocker and a pass protector. — Monson
Lindstrom was ranked as the league’s No. 2 interior offensive lineman in an ESPN poll of NFL execs, coaches and scouts. The former first-round pick signed a five-year, $105 million extension with the team in 2023.
Atlanta’s offensive line has five solid starters across the board, but Lindstrom is in a class of his own. The 27-year-old is just entering his physical prime and should continue dominating in 2024.
