Given that three of the four teams in the NFC South finished 8-9 last season, and the fourth won four of its last five games, it is reasonable to suggest that the division is wide open in 2026. Thanks to a three-way tiebreaker win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons (who won their last four games in 2025), the Carolina Panthers won the South last season, breaking the Buccaneers four-year stranglehold on the title.

That has made the 2026 offseason a particularly intriguing one for the NFC South denizens, as the right combination of roster moves could conceivably put any one of the four teams over the top. All four teams made significant moves in free agency in March, and, more recently, all four filled out their rosters with the draft and the rookie free agent signings that followed in April.

As the one team in the division with a new head coach and general manager – not to mention a high-profile new football executive and maybe a new quarterback (more on that below) – the Falcons are the team most in transition among the four, but they're not exactly starting over. Atlanta boasts a talented roster that included four different players who were named first or second-team Associated Press All-Pros last year, three more than the rest of the division combined.

That roster could still get a few tweaks here and there between now and the start of training camp, but it is likely about 95% complete now that the draft has passed. During this transformative offseason, we have been keeping an eye on what is transpiring in Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans with our monthly "NFC South Check-Ins," and this is our last round of those team reviews. First up is the Falcons, who since our last review have made a challenge trade, signed a new right tackle and created a noteworthy brother tandem in their secondary.

2026 Atlanta Falcons

News/Developments Since the End of the 2025 Season:

The Falcons have been very busy charting a new path for the franchise since ending the 2025 season with that 8-9 record. As noted above, while that did tie for the best record in the NFC South, it was still the team's eight straight season with a losing record and without a playoff berth.

The changes began immediately after a season-ending win over the New Orleans Saints on January 4 (which coincidentally gave Carolina the tiebreaker edge over the Buccaneers for the division title), as the team fired Fontenot and Morris later that evening. Fontenot's run with the team ended after five seasons while Morris had been on the job for two years. The next day, Owner and Chairman Arthur Blank penned a letter to Falcons fans and community in which he announced that Rich McKay was shifting to a new position as CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment, with Greg Beadles promoted to the Falcons' CEO position long held by McKay.Blank also revealed that the team would be creating a new "president of football" position that would be filled by somebody from outside the organization.

That new president proved to be somebody who had previously been a very prominent figure inside the organization, former Falcons quarterback and NFL MVP Matt Ryan. The resulting search for a new Head Coach and General Manager led first to the hiring of Kevin Stefanski, just recently fired from his position as the Cleveland Browns' head coach, and Ian Cunningham, who comes over from the Bears' organization where he was the assistant general manager. While football decisions going forward are intended to be a collaborative effort between Ryan and Cunningham, Blank noted in his letter that the president of football would have "final decision-making authority."

Stefanski retained Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on his staff but brought Tommy Rees with him from Cleveland to serve as offensive coordinator, as he did for the Browns in 2025.Stefanski handed Rees the play-calling duties midway through last season in Cleveland and indicated Rees will also call plays for the Falcons. Stefanski also reunited with Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan, who has spent a quarter-century coaching that position in the NFL, including 2020-23 with the Browns.

On March 11, the Falcons made the expected move of releasing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, which they did with a "post-June 1" designation in order to spread out the dead cap hit over this season and 2027. That move came two years into the lucrative four-year deal Cousins signed with Atlanta in 2024; he subsequently signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, presumably tobe the bridge to Fernando Mendoza, the expected first-overall pick in the upcoming draft.

On April 8, Kaleb McGary, the Falcons' starting right tackle, announced his retirement at the age of 31. McGary missed the entire 2025 season due to a leg injury suffered just before the opener, and the Falcons later revealed that the decision did not come as a completely surprise to the team. McGary's retirement did create a good amount of additional cap space for the team over the next two seasons, and they used some of that right away to address the new vacancy on their line, as noted below.

Two days after the McGary retirement, the Falcons made a move that definitely was not unexpected, as they picked up their fifth-year option for the 2027 season on star running back Bijan Robinson.

Free Agency Developments

The Falcons were busy in free agency, and their first move came before the market even opened when they placed a franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts. The fourth-overall pick in the 2021 draft, Pitts is coming off a season in which he set career highs in receptions (88) and touchdown catches (five) and fell just 72 yards shy of his second 1,000-yard campaign. Pitts can negotiate with other teams but the Falcons would retain a right of first refusal on any offer and would receive two first-round draft picks if he signed with another team. In early April, Pitts signed the one-year tender offer of $16.3 million that came with the tag and reported to offseason workouts.That does not preclude the two sides from still coming to agreement on a long-term deal, but now that there is a contract in place the Falcons do have the ability to trade Pitts if they so desire. Cunningham did not completely dismiss that option when answering questions at the NFL Annual Meeting this week.

As for the new hole on the offensive line, the Falcons only needed a day to pivot to a new starter, signing free agent Jawaan Taylor, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor has 111 career starts at right tackle for the Chiefs and Jaguars, including 12 last season in Kansas City.

The most noteworthy move the Falcons made once free agency began was also the most cost-effective. Atlanta signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after he was released by Miami, and since the Dolphins are still on the hook for Tagovailoa's $54 million salary for 2026, all the Falcons had to give him was the league minimum. Atlanta is dealing with the uncertainty of whether young passer Michael Penix will be ready for the start of the season following his November ACL tear, and notably Tagovailoa is left-handed, like Penix. Tagovailoa's time in Miami ended ignominiously, but he threw for 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns as recently as 2023.

Atlanta also brought in a brand-new kicking duo. With kicker Zane Gonzalez signing in Miami and punter Bradley Pinion a free agent, the team signed veteran kicker Nick Folk to a two-year deal and former Dolphins punter Jake Bailey to a three-year pact.

After the first rush of free agency, Atlanta also made a move to bolster their depth in the secondary by trading with Philadelphia for safety Sydney Brown, a 2023 third-round pick who started nine games over three seasons with the Eagles. The trade came at the cost of pick swaps in the fourth and sixth rounds, both favoring the Eagles. (More on that below.) Brown could figure into the equation as a slot corner, given that Dee Alford departed in free agency and Billy Bowman is recovering from a torn Achilles after a promising rookie season.

The Falcons also made a couple moves later in March to bolster their backfield after the departure of Tyler Allgeier. In an addition that is sure to confuse fantasy football drafters in the summer, Atlanta signed Brian Robinson to be Bijan Robinson's primary backup. The former Robinson saw his role shrink considerably in one season with the 49ers after topping 850 yards from scrimmage in each of his three seasons in Washington. On the same day as the Robinson signing, the Falcons also added former Colts running back Tyler Goodson for added depth and added a third quarterback in well-traveled veteran Trevor Siemian.

More recently, the Falcons traded defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro to the Jacksonville Jaguars for defensive tackle Maason Smith, a swap of two players drafted 13 picks apart in the second round in 2024. Neither player was particularly productive in their first two seasons with their respective clubs, so this trade has been viewed as an opportunity for both to break out in a new environment.

A number of Atlanta's other moves in the early days of free agency mirrored roster losses, or anticipated losses, at the same positions. With edge rusher James Pearce's availability rendered uncertain by multiple felony charges in South Florida, following his 10.5-sack rookie campaign, the Falcons signed edges Cam Thomas, Samson Ekubam and Azeez Ojulari from the Browns, Colts and Eagles, respectively. In late April, Pearce agreed to enter a six-month intervention program which will result in the dismissal of the charges against him, though it is still possible his availability in 2026 will be affected by an NFL suspension.

Atlanta also brought back a pair of their former pass-catchers in Patriots tight end Austin Hooper and Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and added wide receiver Jahan Dotson, most recently of the Eagles. There were also a couple of depth signings on defense in Texans linebacker Christian Harris and Chargers' defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand.

Edge rusher Leonard Floyd has not been re-signed and the team also released wide receivers KhaDarel Hodge and Darnell Mooney. Monney subsequently signed with the Giants. The Falcons did re-signed defensive tackle LaCale London, who had five sacks in 13 games last year.

The first week of free agency proved to be a two-way street for the Falcons, as a handful of notable contributors found new jobs elsewhere in the NFL. Linebacker Kaden Elliss, who had 107 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2025, got the biggest deal, returning to his original team in New Orleans for three years and $33 million after three seasons with Atlanta. Other losses on defense included Alford (two years and $15.75 million in Buffalo), defensive tackle David Onyemata (one year and $10.5 million with the Jets) and edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie (one year and $7.3 million in Philly). Onyemata and Elliss each started all 17 games in 2025 and Onyemata has started 47 of 51 games since signing with the Falcons in 2023.

Allgeier, a productive complementary back for four seasons in Atlanta, left for a potentially larger role with the Arizona Cardinals on a two-year, $12.5 million deal. Allgeier scored a career-high eight rushing touchdowns in 2025. Guard Elijah Wilkinson ended up starting a career-high 17 games in 2025 after a season-ending injury to right tackle Kaleb McGary, but he is now moving on to Arizona on a two-year deal.

2026 NFL Draft

By winning their last four games in 2025 the Falcons finished the season as one of four non-playoff teams with 8-9 records. Of those four, they had the lowest strength of schedule figure (.495) and thus landed the first draft spot in that group, number 13 overall.

The Falcons did not make the 13th pick, however. That's because during last year's draft they sent second and seventh-round picks plus a 2026 first-round selection to the Rams for pick number 26 and a third-rounder. Atlanta used that pick on Pearce, doubling up at the position after taking edge rusher Jalon Walker with their own pick at number 15.

Atlanta also went into the draft without its fifth-round pick, as it gave that up a year ago in a draft-weekend trade-up of five spots in the third round to get safety Xavier Watts. However, they did acquire an extra sixth-rounder during this year's proceedings by trading back 12 spots with the Raiders during the fourth round.

Atlanta had to wait until midway through Friday night to make its first pick but still generated one of the bigger storylines of draft weekend at number 48 by selecting Clemson cornerback Aveion Terrell, who happens to be the younger brother of standout Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell. The younger Terrell could push ninth-year veteran Mike Hughes for a starting job opposite his brother as the two outside corners. The rookie could also be an option in the slot, particularly if second-year safety Billy Bowman, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in November, is not ready for the start of the season.

The Falcons then hit one of their most pressing needs in the third round, taking advantage of a deep class of promising receivers by landing speedy Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch at number 79. Branch ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and pairs that straight-line speed with very quick feet, which makes him a YAC threat out of the slot. He also could factor significantly in the Falcons' return game.

Fourth-round pick Kendal Daniels may also challenge for early playing time thanks in part to his versatility. Daniels started his collegiate tenure as a safety at Oklahoma State but ended it as a 6-5, 242-pound linebacker at Oklahoma who the Sooners lined up all over the field. Atlanta has gotten good results out of versatile hybrid-type players such as Bowman, Walker and linebacker Divine Deablo, and Daniels could push newcomer Harris for a starting spot or be featured in some sub packages.

Atlanta rounded out its six-player draft with Washington defensive tackle Anterio Thompson and LSU linebacker Harold Perkins in Round Six plus Ohio State tackle Ethan Onianwa. Of the three, Perkins is probably the most intriguing given his top-level athleticism and his tendency to make plays in the backfield, but the Tigers' coaching staff struggled to find the perfect spot for him in their defense. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, Perkins is not likely to stick as a dedicated edge rusher and he is still developing as a coverage player, but his speed, quickness and range make him a prospect worth betting on in the latter stages of the draft.

After the conclusion of the draft, the Falcons signed undrafted quarterback Jack Strand of Minnesota-Moorhead, who had been viewed as a possible seventh-round pick. While he obviously played a lower level of competition in Division II he threw 42 touchdown passes last year, has prototypical size at 6-4 and 232 pounds and boasts a strong arm.

Other UDFAs of interest signed by the Falcons include Georgia running back Cash Jones, Wisconsin wideout Vinny Anthony and Miami guard James Brockermeyer. Jones is an accomplished special teams player who could fit in on offense as a third-down back. Brockermeyer is somewhat limited athletically but is a very smart and technically sound. Anthony has some promise both as a pass-catcher and a kickoff returner and was previously coached at Wisconsin by Jordan Reid, who is now on the Falcons' staff.