Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC South Check-In, Pre-Draft Review: Atlanta Falcons

After the first rush of free agency, Atlanta made a couple moves several weeks later that could alter their strategy in the draft, in which its first pick comes at number 48 overall in the second round

Apr 03, 2026 at 08:00 AM

Scott Smith

Senior Writer/Editor

The NFL's calendar has flipped to April, which practically speaking means the bulk of free agency is over and all eyes have turned to the NFL Draft. That's the case, too, for our monthly check-ins on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' three NFC South foes. This week, we're circling back to the Atlanta Falcons, who face a couple of difficulties in the upcoming draft (April 23-25) thanks to a decision the team made during the first night of last year's draft. We'll re-examine that situation in the Draft section below.

The Falcons finished 8-9 in 2025 and placed third in the NFC South, nine years removed from their last division title. Both General Manager Terry Fontenot and Head Coach Raheem Morris were fired immediately following the conclusion of the Falcons' eight consecutive losing season.

At least, that's one way to look at it. Alternatively, one could note that the Falcons won their last four games and finished tied for the best record in the division, only missing out on the playoffs on a tiebreaker. Atlanta went 3-3 in division play and also logged impressive wins over the playoff-bound Bills and Rams. Four different Falcons were named first or second-teamAssociated Press All-Pros, three more than the other three teams in the division had combined.

The latter interpretation suggests that the Falcons have as much of a reason to be confident in their division-title hopes in 2026 as any team in the South. There is also the rush of optimism that comes with the arrival of a new head coach, in this case Kevin Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year award winner.

Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers did win the NFC South last season, breaking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' four-year stranglehold on the title, and the New Orleans Saints appear to have found a long-term answer at quarterback and operated during the first week of free agency like a team that expects to leap back into contention in 2026. If the Buccaneers are going to reestablish their supremacy in the division, they will likely have to overcome stiff competition.

Much of how the division will shape up next fall will be determined by the moves that the four teams make over between now and the summer, or in some cases have already made. For that reason, we're going to keep an eye on what is transpiring in Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans with our monthly "NFC South Check-Ins." Once a month from February through May we'regoing to look at how the rosters, leadership and opportunities are shaping up for the Falcons, Panthers and Saints, continuing this week with an updated rundown of Atlanta's offseason as the draft approaches.

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TAMPA, FL - March 24, 2026 - Inside Linebacker Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers retirement announcement at AdventHealth Training Center. Photo By Tori Richman/Tampa Bay Buccaneers