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Checking in on Falcons roster battles ahead of preseason Week 1

Checking in on Falcons roster battles ahead of preseason Week 1

The first preseason game kicks off tomorrow night, and we’ll soon have a live game for players to prove themselves as they jockey for starting jobs, reserve roles, and even just future practice squad slots.

How are those battles looking heading into Falcons-Lions? Here’s a look based on camp reports from our team here at The Falcoholic and the media who have been there every day, as well as some good old-fashioned hunches from yours truly. We’ll use the eight battles I identified as key ones back in July for our base.

Safety: A close battle

I expected this...

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Jalon Walker, James Pearce, and Xavier Watts set to play Friday vs. Lions

Jalon Walker, James Pearce, and Xavier Watts set to play Friday vs. Lions

The Atlanta Falcons will gear up to play the Detroit Lions Friday night without several players, as the team figures to park a significant number of starters and has a handful of injuries that will keep others out. We’ll still get to see three of the Falcons’ prized rookies, however.

After announcing earlier this week that James Pearce will make his fightin’, quarterbackin’ flusterin’ debut on Friday night, Raheem Morris told us Wednesday that Jalon Walker and Xavier Watts will also be out there. For what could be just a series but might be a half, then, we’ll get to...

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Falcons – Lions preseason Week 1 coverage

Falcons – Lions preseason Week 1 coverage

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What do the Falcons need to accomplish in preseason Week 1?

What do the Falcons need to accomplish in preseason Week 1?

Preseason has always been ugly, but it’s gotten uglier over the past decade as teams stop viewing it as an essential part of the league calendar and start treating it as a way to get reserves and roster hopefuls a lot of run. Teams really don’t care about winning, many don’t play their starters at all, and secrecy-obsessed squads rarely use it to try out any wrinkles in their playbooks. It’s generally a slog aside from a handful of heroic efforts from players getting extended run and doing something with it.

So the Atlanta Falcons, viewed through that prism, have...

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Welcome to the new The Falcoholic: A fresh look, fewer ads and a new feature

Welcome to the new The Falcoholic: A fresh look, fewer ads and a new feature

Things will look a little different around here today.

A few weeks ago we told you something new was coming to The Falcoholic and today it’s here. Things are cleaner, faster and easier to use. There are the same writers, coverage, comments, and community you’ve come to rely on, now with less clutter and clunkiness.

Let’s dive in. If you scroll down the page on your phone or computer, it’s smoother. You’ll notice that the most talked-about stories have a bigger font displaying the number of comments. You’ll also see a section called Active Conversations to point you to the...

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Falcons extend Kaleb McGary, Micah Parsons trade rumors: Tuesday Takes

Falcons extend Kaleb McGary, Micah Parsons trade rumors: Tuesday Takes

The Falcons extended Kaleb McGary, Micah Parsons trade rumors swirl, and James Pearce Jr. emerges as the villain the Falcons need. Kevin Knight and Tre’Shon Diaz address the latest news coming out of Atlanta, including some updates from training camp.

The Atlanta Falcons extended Kaleb McGary, Micah Parsons trade rumors swirl, and James Pearce Jr. emerges as the villain the Falcons need. Kevin Knight and Tre’Shon Diaz address the latest news coming out of Atlanta, including some updates from training camp. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast!

You can also listen to all...

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Falcons sign offensive tackle Kaleb McGary to a two-year extension

Falcons sign offensive tackle Kaleb McGary to a two-year extension

After some speculation about his future in Atlanta, the Falcons came to terms with offensive tackle Kaleb McGary on a two-year extension.

The Atlanta Falcons took a break from training camp to take care of a little unfinished business. On Tuesday afternoon, the team announced a two-year, $30M extension for offensive tackle Kaleb McGary. McGary, 30, has started for the Falcons ever since he was drafted 31st overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. This marks his second extension with Atlanta and keeps him under contract through the 2027 season.

After an up-and-down start to his NFL career, McGary settled in...

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Michael Penix, Kirk Cousins will not play in preseason opener vs. Lions

Michael Penix, Kirk Cousins will not play in preseason opener vs. Lions

The team’s starter and top backup aren’t playing Friday, and they’re unlikely to be alone.

Raheem Morris has made it clear that he is not a fan of playing starters often, or really at all, in preseason. That’s a controversial approach, but one that’s becoming increasingly common as teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and Detroit Lions elect to avoid injury risk and prioritize practices and scrimmages to get their starters reps; in 2023, 14 teams parked their starting quarterbacks for the first two preseason games and eight additional teams gave their starters fewer than 10 snaps.

Given...

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Falcons added CB Grayland Arnold, waive OL Kilian Zierer over the weekend

Falcons added CB Grayland Arnold, waive OL Kilian Zierer over the weekend

The Falcons are keen to keep shuffling their secondary depth.

When your head coach is a longtime defensive backs coach, your assistant head coach is a longtime defensive backs coach, and your franchise justifiably views the secondary as a critical piece of the team, you’re going to stack depth there. That’s particularly true when roster limits are expanded in the summer, and it explains why the Falcons have pruned a couple areas of the roster in the last week to add defensive backs.

Previously it was wide receiver Makai Polk exiting in favor of safety Henry Black, and over the...

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EA Sports reveals player ratings for Madden 26

EA Sports reveals player ratings for Madden 26

The Falcons have a few highly-rated players this year...and a few shockingly low-rated ones.

The countdown to NFL preseason is nearly over, and that means one thing for football gamers — the latest edition of EA Sports’ Madden franchise is right around the corner. Madden 26 is set to bring updated rosters, fresh features, and plenty of debate over player ratings.

For Atlanta Falcons fans, this year’s game brings some exciting numbers. A few key players have earned standout ratings heading into the season, reflecting their impact on the field. Among the top-rated Falcons are ballhawk Jessie Bates III, All-Pro...

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The Falcons should call about Micah Parsons, but it certainly won’t be cheap

The Falcons should call about Micah Parsons, but it certainly won’t be cheap

Parsons is probably going nowhere, but every team has to at least pick up the phone.

Leave it to the Dallas Cowboys to hijack an otherwise normal day of training camp news.

According to Micah Parsons himself, the two-time All-Pro edge rusher has requested a trade amid growing frustration over his contract situation.

Parsons ranks sixth all-time in sacks through his first four seasons with 52.5, joining an exclusive club that includes Reggie White, Al “Bubba” Baker, Derrick Thomas, J.J. Watt, DeMarcus Ware, and Dwight Freeney.

A pass rusher in that kind of rarified air fits any team, especially a...

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Projecting the Falcons roster after the first week of training camp

Projecting the Falcons roster after the first week of training camp

The Falcons completed the first week of training camp, and we’ve learned a lot about the current state of the roster. Here’s our latest roster projection based on our observations from Flowery Branch.

The Atlanta Falcons completed the first week of training camp, and we’ve learned a lot about the current state of the roster. Some battles have delivered expected results, while others have been surprising to downright shocking. Atlanta’s defense has punched back against the offense despite the supposed talent disparity, giving fans a lot of hope that this team could be better than expected in 2025.

Of course,...

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