Atlanta Falcons

The cap is tight today with $39.5M in dead money dragging on the books, but the future looks dramatically brighter with $138.5M in projected room ranked 3rd leaguewide.

29 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Atlanta holds 7 picks this cycle, all in the seventh round except for a traded seventh that is offset by a forfeited seventh, but the three-year total of 21 picks and three first-rounders across that window give the rebuild real ammunition.

• Acquired: Round 7 from Vikings, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Seahawks, this draft

The roster's clear top strength is its offensive skill talent anchored by a 98 overall running back and a 92 overall receiver, while the weakest spot is the quarterback room, where the starter ranks 30th in the league.

• QBhigh

  Michael Penix Jr. starts at 73 overall, ranking 30th among starting quarterbacks, making this the most urgent upgrade on the roster.

• WILLhigh

  Kendal Daniels starts at 69 overall and ranks dead last among starting will linebackers, leaving a gaping hole in the heart of the defense.

• DTlow

  Gervon Dexter Sr. holds down the starting spot well, but depth behind him is thin enough that an injury could expose the interior quickly.

• LEDGElow

  Jalon Walker starts at just 79 overall and ranks 22nd, though his Star dev trait at 22 years old gives reason for optimism in the development pipeline.

• MIKElow

  Divine Deablo is a serviceable 80 overall starter, but the position ranks 21st overall and Josh Woods behind him is a clear cut candidate.

• RTlow

  Jawaan Taylor starts at 75 overall and the depth behind him is thin, ranking 20th at the position and 16th in overall depth.

• SSlow

  Xavier Watts starts at 78 overall but ranks 21st at the position, and Sydney Brown backing him up at 73 overall leaves little margin for error.

• 65Charlie WoernerTECharlie Woerner is the third tight end on the depth chart behind Kyle Pitts Sr. and Austin Hooper, and releasing him frees $4.4M against only $1.3M in dead money.Frees $4.4M · $1.3M dead
• 63Kyle HintonLGKyle Hinton is the second-string left guard and third-string right guard at 63 overall, and cutting him recovers $2.3M while leaving only $920K on the books.Frees $2.3M · $920.0K dead
• 62Cooper RushQBCooper Rush is the third quarterback at 62 overall with no dead money attached, so releasing him immediately frees $1.1M of clean cap space.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 64Corey LevinCCorey Levin is the second-string center and third-string left guard at 64 overall, and releasing him recovers $1.3M while leaving only $180K behind.Frees $1.3M · $180.0K dead
• 61Josh WoodsMIKEJosh Woods sits third on the MIKE depth chart at 61 overall and carries zero dead money, making him a clean $1.1M in free cap with no cost to cut.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

The Falcons own one of the most enviable offensive skill position cores in the league, built around Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts Sr., but the franchise is gated by the quarterback room. Michael Penix Jr. starts at 73 overall, a below-average mark for a starter, and the team's ascent depends almost entirely on how quickly he develops as a Star dev player. Chris Lindstrom and Jake Matthews give the offense a strong interior foundation, though Matthews is entering the late stage of his career and succession at left tackle must be part of the near-term plan, with Cameron Williams and Michael Jerrell the only options behind him. The defense has talent at the top, with Jessie Bates III and A.J. Terrell Jr. anchoring their respective units, and young edge rushers in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. providing genuine upside, but the linebacker corps is a clear weakness with the will spot ranking last leaguewide. The cap picture is complicated right now, carrying $39.5M in dead money and only $34.9M in room this season, but the outlook flips dramatically in the near future when committed cap drops sharply, giving Atlanta one of the best forward cap positions in football at $138.5M in projected room.

The Falcons were awarded to owner Rankin Smith Sr. on June 30, 1965, and began play in 1966 as an NFL expansion team; their first-ever draft pick, Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis, became known as "Mr. Falcon." The early decades were lean: Atlanta did not post a winning record until 1971 and did not reach the playoffs until 1978. The 1977 "Grits Blitz" defense allowed just 129 points in 14 games (9.2 per game), an all-time NFL record that still stands, and the team won its first division title in 1980. The franchise's signature early highlight came in 1998, when Dan Reeves' "Dirty Bird" Falcons went 14-2, won the NFC Championship at Minnesota on Morten Andersen's overtime field goal ("The Kick"), and reached Super Bowl XXXIII, losing 34-19 to Denver. The Michael Vick era (2001-2006) brought electric, run-first quarterback play and a 2004 NFC Championship Game appearance before ending in Vick's 2007 dogfighting conviction. The Matt Ryan / Julio Jones era (2008-2021) was the most sustained run of success in team history: Ryan was the 2016 NFL MVP and led Atlanta to Super Bowl LI, where the Falcons blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead and lost 34-28 in overtime to New England, the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Dan Quinn (2015-2020) oversaw that peak and subsequent decline; Arthur Smith (2021-2023) posted three straight 7-10 seasons; and Raheem Morris (2024-2025) went 8-9 in both seasons before being fired on January 4, 2026. The current era, under Kevin Stefanski, begins in 2026 with owner Arthur Blank overhauling leadership from the top down.