A number of players will see their names called for the wrong reasons by the time the 53-man roster deadline rolls around on Tuesday. Surviving final cuts is obviously important, but with NFL rosters changing constantly, each player will have to produce in order to stick around.
So which Falcons players are on the way out, and which ones are here to stay? Here’s our final projection for Atlanta’s 53-man roster, as organized by position.
1
Quarterbacks
Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder are both locks to make the 53-man roster. With that being said, the Falcons have the option to bring along Feleipe Franks, who may not be an NFL-level quarterback but has some upside at tight end.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Marcus Mariota | $4.25 Million |
| Desmond Ridder | $975,084 |
| Feleipe Franks | $830,000 |
| Total | $6,055,084 |
2
Running back/Fullback
The Falcons have a large running back room that could see key rotational figures just miss the cut. The team parted ways with Mike Davis a year ago, and there are a handful of guys in line to take his place. I think Damien Williams and Cordarrelle Patterson are safe and it’s anyone’s guess how the rest fare.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | $2.5 Million |
| Damien Williams | $1.62 Million |
| Avery Williams | $885,038 |
| Tyler Allgeier | $788,472 |
| Keith Smith (FB) | $1.67 Million |
| Total | $7,460,178 |
3
Wide Receivers
The Falcons have a number of players who are virtual locks to make the roster, despite seeing very minimal action. Bryan Edwards and Drake London were both limited in the preseason due to injuries, but they remain the top two receivers on the team.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Drake London | $3.91 Million |
| Bryan Edwards | $1.03 Million |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | $2.43 Million |
| KhaDarel Hodge | $930,000 |
| Damiere Byrd | $1.04 Million |
| Jared Bernhardt | $706,666 |
| Total | $10,069,112 |
4
Tight Ends
The No. 2 tight end spot behind is still largely up for grabs. The Falcons signed two former Titans tight ends this offseason, and both have played well enough to stick around. Then there’s Georgia rookie John FitzPatrick, who despite being outshined in camp, has the most upside of anyone not named Kyle Pitts.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Kyle Pitts | $7,48 Million |
| Anthony Firkser | $1.04 Million |
| MyCole Pruitt | $895,000 |
| John FitzPatrick | $738,003 |
| Total | $10,160,161 |
5
Offensive Line
The biggest question mark on this Falcons roster is along the offensive line. Being the kind of coach, and having the background he does, you should expect Arthur Smith to elevate this position group in his second year running the team. The biggest question is at guard where last year’s starter, Jalen Mayfield, has struggled throughout camp. Mayfield may not return to the starting lineup this season, but his versatility should earn him a roster spot.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Jake Matthews | $15.19 Million |
| Elijah Wilkinson | $1.04 Million |
| Matt Hennessy | $1.29 Million |
| Chris Lindstrom | $4.68 Million |
| Kaleb McGary | $3.27 Million |
| Jalen Mayfield | $1.18 Million |
| Drew Dalman | $1.02 Million |
| Germain Ifedi | $1.04 Million |
| Colby Gossett | $965,000 |
| Total | $29,692,045 |
6
Interior Defensive Line
After Grady Jarrett, there aren’t any proven defensive linemen on this team. And as much as we want to see Jarrett on the field, he can’t do it by himself. Despite some impressive performances from Timmy Horne and Derrick Tangelo in the preseason, I think the Falcons keep the following four defensive linemen.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Grady Jarrett | $12.93 Million |
| Anthony Rush | $1.25 Million |
| Marlon Davidson | $1.88 Million |
| Ta’Quon Graham | $912,653 |
| Total | $16,976,434 |
7
Edge Rushers
Going into this season, my hopes for the Falcons’ pass rush remain unusually high. The biggest addition was free-agent signing Lorenzo Carter, who should be a noticeable upgrade over the disappointing Dante Fowler. Additionally, I liked what I saw from Ade Ogundeji a season ago, and he has even more of a chance to further enhance his game this season.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Lorenzo Carter | $2.5 Million |
| Ade Ogundeji | $885,038 |
| Arnold Ebiketie | $1.6 million |
| DeAngelo Malone | $950,833 |
| Total | $5,939,269 |
8
Middle Linebackers
The Falcons couldn’t afford to retain Foye Oluokun this past offseason, so expect to see some shifting in the middle of the second level. Deion Jones remains on the roster but how the team uses him is up for debate. The entirety of the offseason has seen jones’ name floated around in the trade pool, and while it’s all just speculation, don’t be surprised to see the former Pro Bowl linebacker moved before the trade deadline.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Deion Jones | $20 Million |
| Mykal Walker | $$1.08 Million |
| Rashaan Evans | $1.64 Million |
| Troy Anderson | $1.11 Million |
| Total | $23,886,164 |
9
Cornerbacks
The Falcons defensive secondary has the potential to be near the top of the league in 2022. With the recent addition of Casey Hayward playing opposite of an already established A.J. Terrell, opposing quarterbacks can no longer attack whoever is on the opposite side of Terrell. Behind Terrell and Hayward, two players have stood out all camp and did just enough to make the roster, in my opinion.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| A.J. Terrell | $3.9 million |
| Casey Hayward | $4 Million |
| Dee Alford | $708,500 |
| Darren Hall | $1.02 Million |
| Mike Ford | $1.04 Million |
| Isaiah Oliver | $1.03 Million |
| Total | $11,718,755 |
10
Safeties
Paired up with a potentially good defensive secondary, the Falcons safety group is set to take a step forward in 2022. Led by Richie Grant, who many had written off a season ago, and Jaylinn Hawkins, who saw an improved 2021 campaign to earn the starting job. The team added Dean Marlowe in free agency as well.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Jaylinn Hawkins | $1.06 Million |
| Richie Grant | $1.88 million |
| Erik Harris | $1.04 Million |
| Teez Tabor | $965,000 |
| Dean Marlowe | $1.04 Million |
| Total | $6,000,904 |
11
Kicker / Punter
The Falcons only have one punter, kicker, and long snapper. There’s no competition here.
| Name | Cap Hit |
| Younghoe Koo (K) | $3 Million |
| Bradley Pinion (P) | $1.48 Million |
| Liam McCullough (LS) | $705,000 |
| Total | $5,185,000 |
12
Conclusion
With the roster selected above, the Falcons will see a total of $133,143,106 count against the $208.2 million this upcoming season. That’s a pretty large gap in cap space, but that room is quickly eaten up by the dead money the team is stuck with after parting ways with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.
Taking into consideration the dead money and the cost of the players put on the injury reserve, the Falcons are at $198,110,895 million for the upcoming season. There will also need to be an additional $2-3 million for the allotted players on the practice squad. This grows the cap total to a potential minimum of $200,760,495 or a maximum total hit of $201,278,895. That’s not a lot of leftover room, but if the team wishes to trade Deion Jones, then that would free up $14 million in cap space.
