The Falcoholic
How do things stand on the side of the ball we’re expecting to improve?
The Atlanta Falcons offense isn’t quite a finished product yet, but it’s getting close. Atlanta has the quarterback position sorted, have running back pretty locked down, and probably are only set to make tweaks to wide receiver, tight end, and the offensive line between now and the season opener.
That makes it a fine time to check in on the likely depth chart for offense, which hasn’t changed significantly since the 2024 NFL Draft. Free agency brought aboard a few starters and key depth pieces, and all that remains is to shore up depth unless the Falcons badly want to upgrade wide receiver further. I’d be more than okay if they did, but with limited dollars and likely a limited appetite for cracking open contracts to free up 2024 space, I doubt they will.
Let’s take a closer look at where things stand here in early May.
Starter: Kirk Cousins
Backup: Michael Penix
Competing for a spot: Taylor Heinicke, John Paddock
Cousins is the starter, so long as he’s healthy. Heading into 2024, the Falcons are hoping to win, and Cousins gives them the best shot of doing so with his mixture of experience, excellent accuracy, and quality arm and instincts. The weapons on hand and a strong line in front of him ought to put Cousins in a position to have a terrific season, and even if his time in Atlanta looks more short-lived than it did a short time ago, this is the season where he’s expected to wreak havoc.
I wrote in a pre-draft look at the depth chart that drafting someone like Michael Penix would push Taylor Heinicke off the roster, and now we’re there. Heinicke may hang on to a roster spot, but I’d pencil Penix in as the backup to Cousins and his obvious heir apparent. The fact that he’s a lefty makes getting into games with Kaleb McGary as his blindside protector a bit of a dicey proposition, but unless the team views that as a major liability or Penix simply isn’t ready in their eyes, he’ll be next man up.
Heinicke is easy to cut, though the Falcons get very little out of doing so. As an eager and capable runner with scattershot accuracy, he’s not an easy fit for a Zac Robinson offense that prizes accuracy and steady work in the pocket, but he has drawn praise from the Falcons brass recently and should at least compete to stay.
Paddock is a camp arm, and if he’s particularly lively, could wind up on the practice squad.
Starter: Bijan Robinson
Backup/Complement: Tyler Allgeier
Competing for a spot: Jase McClellan, Avery Williams, Carlos Washington, Ray-Ray McCloud (kinda)
Robinson showed more than a few glimpses of his electric potential last year, and with a year of refinement for his route running, pass catching, and pass protection, he could be genuinely special on a more regular...
