Falcons News, Analysis & Tomfoolery For and By Fans
When the Falcons promoted longtime scout and executive Tokunbo Abanikanda to director of scouting, it left a vacancy in the front office for the director of college scouting role. We just had to wait to see whether the Falcons filled that position with an internal promotion or an external hire, and now we have our […]
21 days ago | 4 reads
The Falcons’ cornerback group usually left you wanting more in past years. As terrific as A.J. Terrell is, the inability to add an above-average second outside cornerback and the instability at nickel had fans frustrated on a long list of defensive frustrations. Those issues were somewhat alleviated last year with Mike Hughes being solid enough, […]
21 days ago | 1 read
The Atlanta Falcons have seen a pair of assistants on the defensive side of the ball depart, losing passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg to the Browns and now assistant head coach on the defensive side of the ball Jerry Gray to the 49ers. Rutenberg left to be the defensive coordinator in Cleveland, while Gray will […]
21 days ago | 4 reads
The Atlanta Falcons rarely use the franchise tag, but this is a new front office and a new era. It’s also the first time in recent memory that a young player is about to hit free agency that would seem to merit the tag. I’m referring, of course, to Kyle Pitts. Fresh off career highs […]
22 days ago | 3 reads
The Falcons are coming off a franchise record-setting season for their pass rush, and the defensive line was a major contributor to that success. While the edge rusher room also took significant strides in 2025, it was actually the interior that made up the bulk of Atlanta’s sack count. That’s quite the turnaround for a […]
22 days ago | 2 reads
Jeff Ulbrich and most of the defensive staff are back, but not everyone’s staying. The Cleveland Browns are hiring Mike Rutenberg, Atlanta’s 2025 defensive passing game coordinator, as their defensive coordinator. Rutenberg was a key piece of Ulbrich’s staff and had spent each of the past five seasons working with him, both as the linebackers […]
23 days ago | 6 reads
Divine Deablo and Kaden Elliss were as good as advertised, but their running mates got left in the dust. The Atlanta Falcons made a big bet when they prioritized Deablo at the beginning of the 2025 free agency window and it paid off, but the parlay they had going on the entire room fell short. […]
23 days ago | 3 reads
We aren’t even a full week removed from the Seattle Seahawks putting an exclamation point on a dominating Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots. I think they’re still cleaning some of the debris off the parade route. For ESPN’s NFL experts, Super Bowl LX was only the end of another chapter in the […]
25 days ago | 6 reads
The 2025 season has officially concluded, with the Seattle Seahawks thoroughly dominating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. You love to see it. Other things have also happened in recent weeks, like the Falcons hiring Ian Cunningham as their next general manager and the team continuing to fill out the rest of the […]
26 days ago | 4 reads
The offensive line was this team’s unquestioned strength from, say, 2022-2024. Last year, we saw signs of cracks forming in that foundation, and change now feels possible with Bill Callahan replacing Dwayne Ledford. But even though one piece changes here and one pieces changes there, and injury took out a key starter, this line’s continuity […]
26 days ago | 2 reads
Drake London was very good for the Atlanta Falcons in 2025, aside from missing five games. Everything else about the Falcons receiver depth chart was a disaster. Darnell Mooney got hurt, returned, and was a shell of himself all season. Ray-Ray McCloud produced very little and was clearly angered by the team firing wide receivers […]
27 days ago | 1 read
Falcons star rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was arrested on serious charges and may miss some or all of the 2026 NFL season and beyond. Kevin Knight is joined by Tre’Shon Diaz to discuss Pearce’s arrest and the chances of him returning to Atlanta, as well as the latest updates on Michael Penix Jr.’s […]
28 days ago | 3 reads
With the Super Bowl in the rearview and the new league year just a few short weeks away, it’s time to turn the page and start thinking about the Falcons’ 2026 season and what needs to happen this offseason to field a competitive team in September. James Pearce Jr’s arrest may change the calculations on […]
28 days ago | 3 reads
In deeply disappointing news, Falcons EDGE James Pearce Jr. was arrested on Saturday on domestic violence-related charges. The list of charges is lengthy. Pearce has posted his $20,500 bond and will be released from jail sometime Sunday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pearce is charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (domestic […]
28 days ago | 2 reads
With the final whistle blown on the 2025–26 NFL season, we have reached one of my favorite times of the year: Mock draft season has officially arrived. Welcome, Atlanta Falcons fans, to the Kevin Stefanski experience. Expect the field to shrink, heavier personnel, and an offense built to dictate terms instead of reacting to them. […]
28 days ago | 4 reads
Tight end has consistently been a position the Falcons prioritize being a strength of the roster. Other than 2014 and 2015, when Levine Toilolo and Jacob Tamme were starters, they have made the necessary investments to ensure the starting tight end is a difference maker. Kyle Pitts has received many labels in his career. No […]
29 days ago | 4 reads
In a year where just about everything went comically wrong for the Falcons, taking them from would-be playoff team to out of the mix in November, the running back position was a bastion of excellence. It’s a virtual certainty it was our final year with Tyler Allgeier in the mix, though blessedly Bijan Robinson will […]
about 1 month ago | 6 reads
It’s Patriots and Seahawks, which means there’s no strong rooting interest for Falcons fans unless you particularly hate one of these teams, as I do. But it’s the Super Bowl, and thus we shall be watching. Please us this as your open thread for the game ahead, and then we’ll settle in for a long […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
In one of the most unexpected Super Bowl matchups in recent memory, the consensus expectations are fairly one-sided. The Seahawks have firmly established themselves as one of the NFL’s true elite teams. They have dismantled overmatched opponents and manuevered their way into making pivotal plays in high-leverage situations to beat the league’s best. Despite all […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
When Ryan Poles and his assistant general manager Ian Cunningham arrived in Chicago in 2022, they were replacing Ryan Pace, who had been the team’s GM from 2015 to 2021. Now that Cunningham is arriving in Atlanta, Pace is once again headed elsewhere. NFL insider Tom Pelissero reports that vice president of football operations and […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Surprise, surprise. As I wrote back on January 6, Atlanta’s contract adjustment for Kirk Cousins indicated that they were going to cut him, given that they would have a truly unpalatable cap hit next year if they did not. Now Adam Schefter is reporting that the Falcons are planning to do so before the start […]
about 1 month ago | 3 reads
The story of the Atlanta Falcons in the post-Matt Ryan era—and now I have to specify that it is the post-Matt Ryan on-field era—is a failure at quarterback. There are many other stories that intertwine with that one, naturally, from a lackluster defense to special teams woes to poor coaching and poor roster building. But […]
about 1 month ago | 4 reads
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Falcons fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. It’s rare for a Super Bowl matchup to feature two teams who were not expected to […]
about 1 month ago | 5 reads
The Falcons hired Ian Cunningham as their next general manager, along with a few notable offensive assistant coaches. Kevin Knight and Tre’Shon Diaz break down the hires, including thoughts on how Ian Cunningham will change the the roster and draft strategy. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast! You […]
about 1 month ago | 6 reads
New general manager Ian Cunningham is stepping into a less-than-ideal situation in Atlanta. On one hand, he has some terrific pieces on both sides of the ball, a reasonable amount of cap space, and a fanbase that knows that 2026 is not a year where we’re going to place outsized expectations after eight straight losing […]
about 1 month ago | 7 reads