Atlanta Falcons

Cameron Williams

OL

Williams did not practice this week due to an ankle injury. It is unclear how long the reserve offensive lineman will miss due to the injury, but his absence should not impact the Falcons' starting offense much, barring injuries.

Za'Darius Smith

DE

Smith is dealing with a shoulder injury but was able to practice in full Friday, and he has a chance of suiting up in Week 1. However, if Smith can't play, the Falcons will need to lean on depth during Sunday's contest, and Cameron Thomas and Jared Ivey would likely see an increased snap share opposite Samson Ebukam.

Billy Bowman Jr.

CB

Bowman is still being limited in practice as he recovers from the Achilles tear he sustained in November. The safety is not quite ready to get back on the field, but if he keeps stringing together practices, he may be able to suit up for the Falcons' Week 2 showdown with the Panthers.

Jack Strand

QB

The Falcons chose to carry four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, and that looks to have been a savvy move after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out for Week 1 due to an oblique injury he sustained in Thursday's practice. With Michael Penix (knee) also sidelined, the Falcons will turn to the veteran Rush to start under center while Strand -- an undrafted rookie out of Minnesota State-Moorhead -- operates as the QB2. Strand played in all three of the Falcons' preseason games, completing 24 of 36 passes for 306 yards, one touchdown and one interception while turning 17 carries into 29 yards and two scores.

Zachariah Branch

WR

Branch opened Week 1 prep with back-to-back limited sessions due to a hamstring injury, but a full session Friday has him in the clear to make his pro debut this weekend. It's unclear what kind of role can be expected of the rookie third-round pick on offense as he jostles for snaps behind position mates Drake London, Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus, but Branch at least should get on the field as a punt returner.

Jawaan Taylor

OT

Kendal Daniels

LB

Brandon Dorlus

DT

Da'Shawn Hand

DT

Michael Penix Jr.

QB

On Monday, coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Tua Tagovailoa would be the Falcons' Week 1 starting quarterback, while conversely Penix would be inactive for the season opener. On Thursday, though, Tagovailoa strained his oblique and now won't be available this weekend, either, with coach Kevin Stefanski calling him "week-to-week" Friday, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Penix's listed activity of "full" all week indicates he's closing in on his first game action since tearing his left ACL last November, and if Tagovailoa is indeed in danger of missing multiple games, Penix could soon be in the mix for starts under center. As for this Sunday, Cooper Rush will direct the offense, with Jack Strand backing him up.

Cooper Rush

QB

Tagovailoa suffered an oblique strain during Thursday's practice and now will join Michael Penix (knee) on the sideline this weekend. Rush handled the first-team reps in the final two sessions of Week 1 prep and thus will be under center Sunday, with Jack Strand backing him up. Because coach Kevin Stefanski told Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com on Friday that Tagovailoa is "week-to-week," Rush could be in consideration for multiple starts to kick off the 2026 campaign.

Tua Tagovailoa

QB

Tagovailoa opened the week getting the call as Atlanta's Week 1 starting quarterback but ended it sidelined due to an oblique injury that he sustained during Thursday's practice. Coach Kevin Stefanski told Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com on Friday that Tagovailoa is "week-to-week," which would seem to suggest multiple DNPs are on the horizon for the QB. In any case, Tagovailoa will join Michael Penix (knee) in street clothes Sunday, while Cooper Rush gets the nod under center and Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com serves as his backup.

Kyle Hinton

G

Trey Sermon

RB

ir

Storm Norton

OT

out

Jessie Bates III

S

Bates dealt with a lingering back injury throughout training camp. The safety has managed to practice in full through the issue multiple times and is all set to play in the Falcons' Week 1 game against the Steelers.

Gervon Dexter Sr.

DT

Dexter was missing practice with the Bears due to a hamstring issue prior to being traded to the Falcons on Sunday, but he now appears to be back in football shape. He projects to eventually play a significant role on Atlanta's defensive line in 2026, but it could take him a couple games to get acclimated to his new surroundings.

Brian Robinson Jr.

RB

"He has shown a physical style in practice that cements his role as the new Tyler Allgeier," Kendall wrote. "Bijan Robinson fantasy managers may not like how many goal-line carries he gets." Allgeier, of course, was a thorn in the side of Bijan's fantasy investors last season, out-carrying Atlanta's lead back 19 to 17 inside the 10-yard line while matching him with seven carries apiece inside the five-yard line. Allgeier also punched in four of those seven carries for touchdowns, while Bijan scored on just two of his chances. At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, the team's newest Robinson profiles similarly to Allgeier as a short-yardage, between-the-tackles type who can pick up tough yards. It sounds like the former Commander and 49er going to have some sort of role in those situations for the Falcons this season, which could mute Bijan's touchdown upside.

JD Bertrand

LB

The nature of Bertrand's injury is not clear, but the move to IR means the third-year pro will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the regular season, making Week 5 against the Ravens on Sunday, Oct. 11 the earliest he can return. He logged 35 tackles (13 solo) and two pass defenses across 15 regular-season games in 2025, contributing both on defense and special teams.

Anterio Thompson

DT

Thompson spent all of training camp on the active/non-football injury list, making the defensive tackle eligible to start the season on the reserve/NFI list. The 23-year-old is now required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season before being eligible to return to the active roster.

Beaux Collins

WR

Collins did not play in the Falcons' preseason finale against the Dolphins on Friday due to an unknown injury. The wide receiver will now need to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season before he is permitted to rejoin the team's active roster.

Drake London

WR

London was limited to playing the first quarter of Friday's exhibition game before observing the rest of the contest from the sidelines. Entering his fifth NFL season, the USC product has recorded at least 68 catches and 850 receiving yards in each of his four years with Atlanta. London has been one of the most productive receivers since entering the league in 2022, but his offensive output will be heavily tied to the production of the Falcons' starting quarterback, whether that's Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix (knee).

Jahan Dotson

WR

Dotson accounted for three of Tua Tagovailoa's seven completions while Atlanta's starters were in the game, with three going to TE Kyle Pitts and one going to RB Brian Robinson. Offensive stars Bijan Robinson and Drake London sat out the preseason finale, but Dotson's involvement Friday suggests the 2022 first-round pick of the Commanders is positioned as the Falcons' No. 2 wideout behind London heading into the regular season.

Kyle Pitts Sr.

TE

Pitts has shown excellent chemistry with QB Tua Tagovailoa during the preseason, accounting for 81 of Tagovailoa's 117 passing yards across parts of two preseason games. It remains to be seen whether Tagovailoa or Michael Penix (knee) will get the starting nod under center for Week 1 against the Steelers. Either way, Pitts is poised to maintain a prominent role on the heels of his 928-yard 2025 regular season.

Nick Folk

PK

Folk posting an accurate performance is nothing new, as he has missed exactly one field-goal attempt in each of the past three regular seasons. The 41-year-old kicker showed he still has some power left in his leg as well Saturday, as he converted 51-yard and 50-yard field-goal attempts Saturday.