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Now that the 4th of the July weekend is behind us, it won't be long before the Atlanta Falcons return to their Flowery Branch training facility. Rookies will officially report for training camp on July 24, with veterans following on July 28.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has his work cut out for him as he looks to lead the team back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 NFL season. While the roster has a respectable amount of talent, the question marks at quarterback have made Atlanta one of the true wildcards going into 2026.
In today's Falcons Wire Recap, ESPN ranks Atlanta's starting lineup among the worst in the NFL, Bleacher Report names the team's top building block, and Bijan Robinson is voted the No. 1 running back in the game by league execs.
Bleacher Report listed each team's "most promising building block" ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Second-year linebacker Jalon Walker was B/R's choice for the Falcons, highlighting the former Bulldog's versatility.
"While he was largely used as an edge-rusher last season, the Falcons envision him being more of an all-around defender in the mold of former standout Kaden Elliss in Year 2," wrote B/R's Kevin Knox. "Expect Walker to continue growing into a prominent role as one of Atlanta's top defenders."
The Falcons overall roster is arguably one of the stronger units in the NFL, but ESPN isn't high on their starting lineup. The lack of clarity at the quarterback position likely led to Atlanta tying with the Arizona Cardinals for 29th on ESPN's starting lineup rankings.
"The eighth pick in 2024, Penix has yet to emerge as a capable starter, totaling 14 touchdown passes in 14 games while struggling with accuracy," wrote ESPN's Mike Clay. "He tore his left ACL in Week 11 last season and now has added competition in Tagovailoa. The former Dolphin has flashed at times during his career, but Miami took on a record $99 million in dead money to move on from him after a disappointing 2025 season."
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled NFL executives to rank the top 10 players at each position entering the 2026 season. Bijan Robinson was voted as the top running back in the league.
"Bijan is just more dynamic than the rest of the field in terms of creating positive runs despite blocking failure," an NFC executive told Fowler. "Combo of his bend, feet and agility. His size shows up with physicality. And while Gibbs is top-end faster, Bijan is still explosive in his own right, creating home run plays."
In a new 2024 NFL redraft piece from Zachary Pereles at CBS Sports, the Falcons pass on Penix and take Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 8 pick.
"The Falcons' stunning decision to draft Penix just weeks after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency doesn't look any better in this redraft," wrote Pereles. "Penix hasn't been on the field much, suffered yet another major knee injury last year and hasn't been very good when on the field. Now he's battling Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job. Instead, the Falcons land an absolute stud in Mitchell, who was an All Pro last year."
Cash Jones spent his entire college career at Georgia, rushing for 253 yards and three touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. However, the former Bulldogs running back did most of his damage as a third-down back and pass-catching specialist. Jones ended his time at Georgia with 57 career catches for 573 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
The Falcons knew what they were getting in Jones, and immediately tried him out at wide receiver during rookie minicamp. Head coach Kevin Stefanski praised Jones' versatility.
"This is a very, very smart football player," said Stefanski. "Obviously, UGA fans know the type of player he is and the type of plays he's made in the course of his career. I'm so impressed with who he is as a person. The intelligence part of this - you can't just have a guy go from running back to wide receiver if he's not intelligent. We're going to continue to work him in different spots."
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons Recap: Bijan Robinson, Jalon Walker, Cash Jones
Continue reading...
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has his work cut out for him as he looks to lead the team back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 NFL season. While the roster has a respectable amount of talent, the question marks at quarterback have made Atlanta one of the true wildcards going into 2026.
In today's Falcons Wire Recap, ESPN ranks Atlanta's starting lineup among the worst in the NFL, Bleacher Report names the team's top building block, and Bijan Robinson is voted the No. 1 running back in the game by league execs.
Bleacher Report identifies Falcons' top building block
Bleacher Report listed each team's "most promising building block" ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Second-year linebacker Jalon Walker was B/R's choice for the Falcons, highlighting the former Bulldog's versatility.
"While he was largely used as an edge-rusher last season, the Falcons envision him being more of an all-around defender in the mold of former standout Kaden Elliss in Year 2," wrote B/R's Kevin Knox. "Expect Walker to continue growing into a prominent role as one of Atlanta's top defenders."
ESPN ranks Falcons' starting lineup 29th in NFL
The Falcons overall roster is arguably one of the stronger units in the NFL, but ESPN isn't high on their starting lineup. The lack of clarity at the quarterback position likely led to Atlanta tying with the Arizona Cardinals for 29th on ESPN's starting lineup rankings.
"The eighth pick in 2024, Penix has yet to emerge as a capable starter, totaling 14 touchdown passes in 14 games while struggling with accuracy," wrote ESPN's Mike Clay. "He tore his left ACL in Week 11 last season and now has added competition in Tagovailoa. The former Dolphin has flashed at times during his career, but Miami took on a record $99 million in dead money to move on from him after a disappointing 2025 season."
Bijan Robinson voted NFL's top RB
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled NFL executives to rank the top 10 players at each position entering the 2026 season. Bijan Robinson was voted as the top running back in the league.
"Bijan is just more dynamic than the rest of the field in terms of creating positive runs despite blocking failure," an NFC executive told Fowler. "Combo of his bend, feet and agility. His size shows up with physicality. And while Gibbs is top-end faster, Bijan is still explosive in his own right, creating home run plays."
Falcons pass on Penix in CBS Sports' 2024 redraft
In a new 2024 NFL redraft piece from Zachary Pereles at CBS Sports, the Falcons pass on Penix and take Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 8 pick.
"The Falcons' stunning decision to draft Penix just weeks after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency doesn't look any better in this redraft," wrote Pereles. "Penix hasn't been on the field much, suffered yet another major knee injury last year and hasn't been very good when on the field. Now he's battling Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job. Instead, the Falcons land an absolute stud in Mitchell, who was an All Pro last year."
Falcons training camp spotlight: RB/WR Cash Jones
Cash Jones spent his entire college career at Georgia, rushing for 253 yards and three touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. However, the former Bulldogs running back did most of his damage as a third-down back and pass-catching specialist. Jones ended his time at Georgia with 57 career catches for 573 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
The Falcons knew what they were getting in Jones, and immediately tried him out at wide receiver during rookie minicamp. Head coach Kevin Stefanski praised Jones' versatility.
"This is a very, very smart football player," said Stefanski. "Obviously, UGA fans know the type of player he is and the type of plays he's made in the course of his career. I'm so impressed with who he is as a person. The intelligence part of this - you can't just have a guy go from running back to wide receiver if he's not intelligent. We're going to continue to work him in different spots."
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons Recap: Bijan Robinson, Jalon Walker, Cash Jones
Continue reading...
