Atlanta Falcons: Final 53-man roster prediction for 2021

The Atlanta Falcons are entering a new era for the franchise but what will the 53-man roster for the 2021 season end up looking like?

The Atlanta Falcons have undergone quite a lot of changes ahead of the 2021 NFL season. First-year head coach Arthur Smith will look to get them off on the right track, but will do so with a much different roster on his hands after some key departures.

Matt Ryan has a tall order on his hands, leading this offense without Julio Jones for the first time in 10 years. Then again, the Falcons used their first-round pick on tight end Kyle Pitts, who might be able to alleviate some of the losses created by trading Jones.

But now that the preseason is over, it’s time for the Atlanta Falcons to get the roster down to 53 players. Who’s going to make the cut?

Final 53-man roster prediction for the 2021 Atlanta Falcons

Quarterbacks: Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen, Feleipe Franks

The Atlanta Falcons lost a capable backup quarterback in A.J. McCarron for the season to a torn ACL. Josh Rosen was signed to fill the void. That will not cut it; at best, Rosen should not be any higher than being the third-string quarterback. Feleipe Franks is merely an undrafted free agent camp body.

Atlanta cannot go into the regular season with such minuscule depth at the most important position. They absolutely must do whatever they can to address this.

Running Backs: Mike Davis, Quadree Ollison, Cordarrelle Patterson

Mike Davis will finally get the chance to show what he can do as the lead running back. I, for one, am excited to see what he can do with the opportunity after playing well in Carolina last year when asked to fill in for injured Christian McCaffrey.

Wide Receivers: Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Cordarrelle Patterson, Tajae Sharp, Chris Rowland

I am going to list Cordarrelle Patterson in a dual role for the Atlanta Falcons as he’s going to be moved around in the offense. Looking at this group, they may claim a wide receiver or two off of waivers as their depth is shallow.

Tight Ends: Kyle Pitts, Hayden Hurst, Lee Smith

The Atlanta Falcons passed on a potential quarterback of the future for Kyle Pitts; time will tell if that was the correct decision or not.

Offensive Line: Jake Matthews, Matt Gono (injured), Matt Hennessy, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary, Josh Andrews, Drew Dalman, Jalen Mayfield, Jason Spriggs

I stretched and added Jason Spriggs as the ninth offensive lineman, largely due to the Gono injury. He is on his third NFL team and hasn’t been all that impressive but his pathway to the roster has been paved.

Defensive Line: Grady Jarrett, Tyler Davison, Jonathan Bullard, Eli Ankou, John Cominsky, Ta’Quan Graham

The Atlanta Falcons could move to a similar scheme as the Tennessee Titans deploy as a 3-4 defense. Whatever they use as their base defense in 2021, it will begin and end up front with Grady Jarrett. He is one of the better defensive linemen in the NFL.

Linebackers: Deion Jones, Foyesade Olukun, Dante Fowler Jr., Brandon Copeland, Steven Means, Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Tuzar Skipper

Jones and Olukun have performed decently well but will need to make strides to be more consistent players in the expected 3-4 defensive front.

Cornerbacks: A.J. Terrell, Fabian Moreau, Kendall Sheffield, Isaiah Oliver, Avery Williamson, Delrick Abrams

Atlanta will be looking for young players such as Terrell and Moreau to make a big jump this season. If they fail to, the cornerback spot could be an issue for the Falcons.

Safeties: Richie Grant, Duron Harmon, Jaylinn Hawkins, Erik Harris, T.J. Green, Dwayne Johnson Jr.

Grant has high expectations as a rookie and has a nice player with Duron Harmon to help bring him along as a veteran mentor. Still, the losses of Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee will be felt.

Specialists: Younghoe Koo (K), Dom Maggio (P), Josh Harris (LS)

Koo was one of the better kickers in the NFL last season, so Atlanta can feel confident in him while they hope that Maggio can be a solid leg as the team’s punter.