The Atlanta Falcons are down to 52 players on their roster. On Saturday, the organization announced that they had made all of their roster decisions and trimmed their team down to 52 players, one under the league mandated number of 53 that they must carry into game days, implying that the Falcons have designs on potentially adding a player before the start of the regular season. Here is the complete list of players who did not make the Falcons roster. QB Kurt Benkert. The undrafted rookie quarterback looked to have made a good impression on the team in his exhibition debut, but his performance did not match up for the remainder of the preseason. Instead, Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub will enter the 2018 season as the two quarterbacks on the roster. FB Jalston Fowler. Over five seasons in Tuscaloosa, Fowler rushed for 738 yards on just 113 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per rush and scoring five times. As a pass receiver, he scored seven additional touchdowns on only 19 catches. He has a reputation as a solid, determined run blocker. But in the end, injury concerns may have driven the Falcons to go with Ricky Ortiz instead. DT Garrison Smith. The backup defensive lineman hasn’t received all that many headlines so far this offseason, but when he had one last chance to make an impression, he certainly did. In the Dolphins game, Smith recorded a sack and a few hits against the quarterback, making the Falcons’ decision at this position a little tougher. In the end, they went in another direction. DB Chris Lammons. The Falcons came into the preseason with a few decisions to make in the secondary, and in the preseason finale against the Dolphins, Lammons went ahead and made one of those decisions easier to make. On Thursday, Lammons forced a badly needed turnover on defense by stripping the ball from the offensive player’s grasp and recovered it at the bottom of the pile. After the kind of lead Atlanta surrendered early in the game, it was just what they needed. After that, Lammons was also solid when playing in pass coverage. G Sean Harlow. This is a draft pick from last year that didn’t pan out. Harlow came to the Falcons after starting 37 games at Oregon State as a left tackle and right tackle. The plan was to nudge him into a guard role to exploit his known skills at blocking for the run, but he didn’t make it onto the field as a rookie. His chances at getting back with the reserves in 2018 didn’t happen after the team acquired Brandon Fusco, demoting Wes Schweitzer into their primary backup guard spot. LB Anthony Winbush. The rookie came to Atlanta after an impressive career at Ball State rushing the pass, finishing his collegiate career with 99 combined tackles, 52.5 tackles for loss, and 25 sacks. He had a positive outing for the Falcons in the final preseason game, but it wasn’t enough to crack a rotation that already features Brooks Reed and Derrick Shelby as backup options behind Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley. WR Reggie Davis. Over four seasons at Georgia, Davis caught 47 passes for 998 total yards in the air, and he averaged a whopping 21 yards per reception in the process, but in all that time at Athens did not score a touchdown. He has had two stints with the Falcons so far, and in his second this summer has been among the names thrown into the mix for the starting kick returner competition. But after the emergence of Calvin Ridley there, especially in his performance against the Chiefs as a specialist, it appears that the first round pick could earn the starting gig here, thereby depriving Davis of his best chance to make the Falcons roster for the 2018 season. Marvin Hall and Justin Hardy are currently ahead of him in the regular wide receiver depth chart, as well. Atlanta could add him to the practice squad, but that would be the last option for Davis to don the red and black. WR Christian Blake. It was always going to be difficult for a wideout to get any real attention on this depth chart with the kind of talent the Falcons boast not only at the top, but also among their reserves. The former Northern Illinois product was facing an uphill battle despite a solid collegiate career. Blake had 83 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns in college over 47 games and averaged more than 19 yards per kickoff return attempt. G Jamil Douglas. A former fourth round draft pick out of Arizona State three years ago, Douglas was with the Miami Dolphins initially, with the organization for his entire rookie season before being let go and winding up with the New England Patriots. His journey took him to Atlanta, who signed him to the practice squad at the beginning of last season, and then to the active roster in December. Douglas suffered a finger injury in the preseason, but that didn’t seem to slow him down. There’s a chance the guard could get practice squad consideration again this year. FS, Marcelis Branch OT Daniel Brunskill DB Deante Burton WR Dontez Byrd LB Jonathan Celestin DE Mackendy Cheridor DB Secdrick Cooper RB Justin Crawford DT Jon Cunningham LB Emmanuel Ellerbee TE Jaeden Graham S Tyson Graham TE Alex Gray WR Devin Gray QB Garrett Grayson C J.C. Hassenauer DE J.T. Jones WR Lamar Jordan RB Terrence Magee TE Troy Mangen K David Marvin DB Ryan Neal LB Emmanuel Smith K Giorgio Tavecchio DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner G Salesi Uhatafe WR Julian Williams The Falcons also announced that they waived injured running back Malik Williams and confirmed the two reported moves from the day before, parting ways with veteran free safety Ron Parker and offensive tackle Austin Pasztor. They also reached an injury settlement with defensive back Leon McFadden. Now, the Falcons look to make their practice squad additions. This season, the team will be allowed to sign 11 players to that unit rather than the customary 10 thanks to the presence of British born tight end Alex Gray, who came to the organization as part of the NFL’s International Player program.<doc-sep>The Falcons announced the cut of tackle Austin Pasztor and safety Ron Parker on Friday. They also reached an injury settlement with cornerback Leon McFadden. Here are the players who were released:<doc-sep>The Atlanta Falcons cut down to the best 52 players they had. 52? They only had to cut down to 53, so maybe the guy who originally made it parked in Thomas Dimitroff’s bicycle spot. So far, it sounds like they kept a roster spot open to keep open for players cut by other teams. Sorry, Austin Pasztor, but Thomas Dimitroff really liked some other players better. Which ones? Well, he isn’t sure yet, but he’s got a pretty good idea, as long as they get cut. Now that we have the finalish roster, we can take a deep dive at how the depth shakes out. Here are the three worst positions. Defensive End The Falcons only kept four defensive ends, and the top three have dealt with injuries in the last few seasons. Vic Beasley, Takkarist McKinley, and Brooks Reed are definitely a solid top three ends, but we are just one injury away from getting a little too much of run stuffer Derrick Shelby. Dan Quinn might have a higher opinion of Shelby than us, but definitely not by much because Shelby was cut after refusing a pay cut earlier this offseason. It’d be perfect if that last roster spot went to a defensive end with some pass rushing abilities. If not, lets just hope Steve Sarkisian figures out how to put up 30+ points per game. Tight End Atlanta has a pretty clear depth chart at tight end: Austin Hooper to catch, Logan Paulsen to block, and Eric Saubert to hopefully fill in incase either of those guys get injured. I’m much more worried about replacing Hooper, who looked like an important cog to the offense during first-team drives. Paulsen can most certainly not fill in, and it is unclear if Saubert can be that guy yet. Atlanta doesn’t have a tight end that should make the practice squad, which would be good to have in case of emergencies. So we really, really, really need Hooper to stay healthy. Running Back Atlanta has one of the best running back duos in the league, but both backs are frequently spending time with the trainer. Every year we get to see the third-string back fill in, and that back this year is Ito Smith. He made a few splash plays this preseason, but everything in between made it look like he is not ready. It’d be good to see at least one more back on the roster, if not on the practice squad. The Falcons could then promote the back in case of an injury to Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman.<doc-sep>
We spent a lot of time thinking about roster cuts yesterday, and our own Matt Chambers took a closer look at the positions with remaining question marks last night. One of the big questions left to ask, then, is how good this roster actually is. Let’s not overthink that. The Falcons stayed healthy all summer, and while there are depth questions and a couple of trouble spots, this is one of the best rosters in the NFL. The Falcons have painstakingly built a great house of the scattered columns that were left after 2015, and they should be (at minimum) a playoff contender in 2018. But let’s consider just how good it can be. What are the roster’s strengths? In no particular order, the Falcons have an elite quarterback, elite ground game, one elite receiver and some very good options, and a top ten offensive line if everyone’s healthy. Their defense is loaded with young promise, including two pass rushers with loads of upside, one of the best linebackers and young defensive tackles in the game, and an absurdly deep secondary. Oh, and their special teams unit should be good, at minimum. Taken together, you have a What are the roster’s weaknesses? Depth is a question at some spots. The Falcons are one injury away from having a problem at defensive end, their linebacker depth is unproven, and an injury at tackle opens the Falcons up to starting either Ty Sambrailo or Matt Gono. Every team in the NFL has those kinds of questions, but it doesn’t make me any less nervous to know that. Beyond that, the Falcons are still waiting for Austin Hooper to blossom, lack truly elite starting guards, and don’t have an elite pass rush on paper unless Vic Beasley bounces back and Takkarist McKinley takes a bit step forward. None of those are fatal, but they are worth considering. How far can this roster take Atlanta? As good as the NFC is, the Falcons have the talent to represent the conference in next February’s Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There just aren’t a lot of major holes on this roster, even before the Falcons fill their final open roster spot, and I remain confident that this team will push deep into the postseason so long as they remain healthy. At the end of the day, while the Falcons made a handful of curious decisions at the bottom of the roster that we’ll need to monitor, they built a team that is just as strong as the one we thought we’d get way back in May. Now we just need to see if they can live up to the hype.