Matt Ryan is the President of Football for the Atlanta Falcons. He also happens to be the best quarterback in franchise history. Below Ryan, it’s either Michael Vick or Steve Bartkowski. What the latter two have in common, outside of being great quarterbacks for the franchise, is that they both went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft in their respective classes. The aforementioned Ryan went No. 3 overall. All three were the first quarterbacks off the board in their respective drafts.

Atlanta’s current franchise quarterback hopeful, Michael Penix Jr., was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. The three quarterbacks taken before him, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye, have each already proven they’re franchise quarterbacks, and each has already made the postseason, with the latter leading his team to the Super Bowl this past season.

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The Falcons have not hosted a playoff game in the no-longer-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and have the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL at eight seasons overall. The quickest way to resolve that embarrassing mark for the franchise is to get the quarterback position right. With Penix Jr. coming off yet another knee injury and the team signing Tua Tagovailoa as insurance, I can’t help but wonder where Ryan is when it comes to the most important position in football with the Atlanta Falcons, a position he knows and understands better than anyone in that building.

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Ryan, along with new general manager Ian Cunningham, did not draft Penix Jr. Along with the two new leaders in the Falcons’ front office, the team has a new head coach and new offensive staff underneath Kevin Stefanski. In college football, the term Year 0 is used frequently. For instance, with the amount of roster turnover and looming sanctions at Tennessee when Josh Heupel first arrived in Knoxville, it was understood the 2021 season was an evaluation year – a year to reset the deck. Year 0, not Year 1. With how the Falcons have operated in free agency thus far, it certainly does look like an evaluation and reset year is what’s on the menu for the Falcons in 2026, and for good reason. If Ryan, Cunningham, and Stefanski tie themselves to Penix Jr., and that decision proves to extend the team’s playoff drought to double-digit seasons, that’s a huge problem for the trio.

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Former longtime Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who has now become vastly underrated by the fanbase over the last six years, used his first selection on Ryan in the 2008 NFL Draft. He led the franchise for over a decade in large part because he got the quarterback right right away in Atlanta. Ryan and Cunningham did not use their first selection as top decision-makers for the franchise in 2026 on a quarterback – the team did not even have a first-round pick this season after the previous administration traded back into the first round last year for Tennessee LEO James Pearce Jr. 2026 was also one of the weaker quarterback drafts with just two quarterbacks taken in the first round and just one taken in the top-10, Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Atlanta has its first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Next year’s draft is one that analysts believe to be loaded at the quarterback position, headlined by Texas’ Arch Manning.

The trio of Ryan, Cunningham, and Stefanski has all seen what happens when your team takes the first quarterback off the board in any particular draft. Ryan saw the longterm success he had with the franchise after being taken No. 3 overall and the first quarterback off the board in 2008. Cunningham was with the Bears when they selected Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. Stefanski, who won Coach of the Year twice during his tenure in Cleveland, was most successful with a quarterback the Browns took No. 1 overall in Baker Mayfield. Kind of like the NBA, where the San Antonio Spurs look like they’re headed towards another long-term all-time great run with former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. The Detroit Pistons broke through this season, a season where their best player, Cade Cunningham, a former No. 1 overall pick, broke through as a top-10 guy in the League. Sometimes, you just need a little luck and the best bets to become stars become, well, stars.

For the Falcons to get there, the 2026 season has to be different, and not just the uniforms. The seemingly never-ending march to eight or nine wins has to cease. It’ll be painful to have to invest another first-round pick on a quarterback in 2027 after just doing so in 2024, along with the Kirk Cousins debacle, but none of that is on this current administration. What this administration has to do is reset the rookie quarterback contract clock in 2027. What they can’t do is stumble their way into eight or nine wins again with up-and-down play from Penix Jr.

But I wonder if Ryan sees it that way? Has he seen enough in the previous two years watching from afar to believe Penix Jr. can be the franchise quarterback former general manager Terry Fontenot thought he was getting two years ago? Or does he, along with Cunningham and Stefanski, look at the 2027 quarterback class and believe 2026 needs to be a Take Your Medicine year?

This season and the next are so critical to building out something that works long-term in Atlanta. The Falcons have won seven or eight games in seven of the last eight seasons. It’s a ride every Atlanta fan desperately wants to get off. I suspect more fans than not, like a lot of Steelers fans, would gladly take a rough step-back year if it meant taking potentially the top quarterback in next year’s class.

The last time the Falcons won four games or fewer, they took a tight end at No. 4 in what turned out to be a disastrous quarterback class. Still, the first quarterback taken in that draft worked out – Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 overall. The Falcons went 4-12 the season before they took Michael Vick No. 1 overall. The Falcons went 4-12 the season before they took Matt Ryan No. 1 overall. Perhaps it’s time for the Falcons to go 4-12, er, 4-13, this year.

I wonder if Ryan, Cunningham, and Stefanski look at it through a similar lens? It’s better to rip the Band-Aid off early in a new tenure when hope and optimism are at their highest. Stefanski got Mayfield early. Ben Johnson got Williams early. Dimitroff got Ryan early. Will Ryan, Cunningham, and Stefanski follow what worked in the past? Or will they try to make it work through the middle, a path that has failed the franchise for nearly a decade now? I don’t have the answer, but I hope Ryan does because his long-term future in Atlanta, along with Cunningham and Stefanski, will depend on it.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting on Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old future NFL Hall of Famer could return to Pittsburgh for a second season with the black and gold. He could also sign with another quarterback-needy team in the desert, too. The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone. NFL Free Agency kicked off nearly two months ago. A lot has happened in the NFL, but one thing that has not happened is Rodgers signing with an NFL team, the Steelers, or anyone else.

Historically, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers have not had much in common. However, the two AFC North rivals do have something in common at the moment – neither franchise is settled at quarterback this year and beyond. Both franchises have taken fliers on mid-to-late-round quarterbacks the last two draft cycles. For Pittsburgh, it’s been Will Howard and Drew Allar. For Cleveland, it’s been Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green. You wondered if either would take a first-round chance on former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson this year, but neither franchise did. Both the Browns and Steelers have a lot of different options at quarterback this season, but this is one of those positions where you don’t want a lot of different options. You want to be like the other two teams in the division, with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in tow, where you have your franchise quarterback, and that’s that.

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The Steelers went 10-7 with Rodgers last season and won the AFC North. They did, however, of course, get clobbered by the Houston Texans at home in the Wild Card Round, 30-6. The Steelers are closing in on a full decade since their last playoff victory. With or without Aaron Rodgers in the fold this season, it seems very unlikely that the streak ends this year. One worry of a Rodgers return, though, is that even at 42 years old, he is still excellent enough to keep the Steelers from drafting anywhere near the top of the 2027 NFL Draft. It’d be one thing if the roster around Rodgers were built for a Super Bowl run this season like it was for Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, but that’s not the case in Pittsburgh. The roster is a whole lot closer to the Atlanta Falcons than it is to the Seattle Seahawks.

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It certainly seems clear with the hiring of Mike McCarthy this offseason and the continued chase of Rodgers that Pittsburgh is not interested in tearing it down to the studs like Miami. The Falcons are doing the same. The Green Bay Packers never do. Not every team has to or maybe even needs to. But if there were ever a year to tear it down just a tad, and not sign Rodgers, 2026 would be the season to do it. Even with how loaded the 2027 quarterback class portends to be, the Steelers just won double-digit games with Rodgers last season, and, if he returns, you have to wonder how many quarterbacks are taken ahead of where Pittsburgh would end up making their first selection.

The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers went 6-10 and used the No. 11 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft to select Ben Roethlisberger. With a full season of Rodgers like we saw in 2025, winning six or fewer games in 2026 doesn’t seem likely. On the other hand, a collection of starts at quarterback between Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar could put Pittsburgh in a better position to not have to potentially use additional draft capital to move up for a quarterback next year that they like a lot. The Steelers might not need to tear this thing all the way down, but they do need to take another swing on a quarterback high atop the first round like the team did all the back in 2004.

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If Rodgers returns, there is a lot to like about the 2026 Steelers’ offense. The wideout trio of DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Germie Bernard could be really good. Rico Dowdle has rushed for over 1,000 yards the last two seasons and should complement Jaylen Warren nicely in the backfield. The Steelers have invested premium draft picks at the tackle spots over the last couple of years. While Pittsburgh declined left tackle Broderick Jones’ fifth-year option a few days ago, the Steelers used a first-round pick on former Arizona State right tackle Max Iheanachor in this year’s draft. They used a 2024 first-round pick on former Washington right tackle Troy Fautanu. Tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are a nice combination, too. Rodgers has a lot to work with in 2026 if he indeed returns to Pittsburgh this fall. Even better, a quarterback taken early in the first round of next year’s draft by Pittsburgh would as well. The problem is that you might not be able to get to the latter with the former.

The biggest quarterback question in Pittsburgh is not what Rodgers elects to do this offseason. It’s what the Steelers elect to do at quarterback next offseason. If the class is as loaded as many folks predict it to be at quarterback, 2026 needs to be a step-back year for Pittsburgh. The Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and the Minnesota Vikings could all take a quarterback in the first round next season, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

That’s a lot of competition.

The Steelers didn’t need to go 2-14 the last time they drafted their franchise quarterback, but they did need to lose double-digit games. If Rodgers returns, that seems unlikely. Rodgers spurning Pittsburgh for the Cardinals or even retirement might sting at first, but it also could be something we say was the best thing longterm for the franchise this time next year, too.

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Interestingly enough, a lot of folks who write and talk about the NFL Draft loved what the Browns were able to do last year, too. The Browns took former UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger in the second round of the draft last year, and he won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Browns took former Ohio State and Ole Miss star tailback Quinshon Judkins, and he tallied over 800 yards on the ground in 14 games, in the second round, too. Their third-round selection, former Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin, reeled in 72 receptions for 731 yards and six scores. A whole lot of production from their early-draft choices in 2025, which doesn’t even include top-5 selection Mason Graham, who did have 7 TFLs and 4 QB hits to pair with 17 starts.

All of this first-year production should excite Browns fans when you consider general manager Andrew Berry made five additional selections in the first three rounds in this year’s draft. With nine picks in the first three rounds across back-to-back seasons, Cleveland could really have a stew going.

But they also took two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft – Dillon Gabriel in the third and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth. They took Taylen Green in the sixth round this year. They still have Deshaun Watson on the roster. Barring a breakout season from Gabriel, Sanders, or Green, it should not come as a surprise if Cleveland takes another quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, given how loaded a class it portends to be. That’s right, Cleveland could take four quarterbacks across three consecutive drafts, and chances are you would still look at what Cleveland did in 2025 and 2026 on the whole and commend them on a job well done.

How interesting is that?

The Browns are in a unique spot in which they have earned back-to-back ‘A’ grades for their draft choices while using three of their seventeen picks on quarterbacks. A lot of that obviously has to do with when they’re taking the quarterbacks. Berry took fliers on Gabriel and Sanders after four other positions: defensive tackle, linebacker, tight end, and running back. This year, Berry took a flyer on Green after addressing six other positions: offensive tackle, wide receiver, safety, center, linebacker, and tight end. The Browns have poured a whole lot of draft capital into areas of need while also taking fliers on quarterbacks in the third, fifth, and sixth rounds, respectively, over the last two seasons. If one of the quarterbacks hits during this period, great, but if not, that’s perfectly fine, too, because they haven’t reached for anyone in the first or second round.

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It’s not a coincidence that the last homegrown quarterback to flourish in Cleveland also happened to be Cleveland’s last No. 1 overall pick in Baker Mayfield. The best way to find your franchise quarterback is in the first round. It doesn’t mean that’s the only way, but it has proven to be the most common way. The Browns haven’t taken a quarterback in the first round since Mayfield in 2018. With Arch Manning and more talented quarterbacks looming in the 2027 class, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland finally dipped their toes back into the water when it comes to taking quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft.

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If that is the route the Browns go in 2027, the team will have threaded the needle of drafting well in preparation for that kind of quarterback investment. The Browns have used their first picks in the first round the last two seasons in the trenches – defensive tackle last season and offensive tackle this season. They took two offensive tackles and two wide receivers across the first 86 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. They have invested in running back, at linebacker, and at safety, too. They’ve retained the NFL single-season sack leader Myles Garrett through it all, too.

Cleveland currently has four gigantic unknowns at quarterback in Watson, Gabriel, Sanders, and Green. It remains to be seen if the team will use its own first-round pick on a quarterback next season. What we do know is that Berry and the front office are building a foundation for potential success in Cleveland for whichever quarterback ultimately figures it out under center with the Browns. Devoid of context, how many folks would assume Cleveland has nailed back-to-back drafts if you lead with they took three quarterbacks? Probably not many, and while Cleveland must solve the most pressing need for their franchise sooner rather than later, it does not have to be solved this season. Cleveland can nail back-to-back drafts while also throwing dart after dart when it comes to the quarterback position at present. Even better, the team’s new head football coach, Todd Monken, had a lot of success as the offensive coordinator at Georgia when the quarterback situation was certainly uncertain.

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Cleveland is probably not going to be a great team in 2026, but their last two drafts are putting them in a position to become one if they can solve their quarterback conundrum sooner rather than later. 2027 is the year the Browns should take a real swing at taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft. The team hasn’t found consistent success since they last used a first-round pick on a quarterback. They could have reached for a quarterback in the first or second round this year. They could have last year, too, but to their credit, they were patient and took their fliers in the third round and beyond to ensure that when they do take a big swing in the first round, perhaps next spring, that quarterback is walking into a great situation where early-round draft capital the last couple of cycles has been used smartly. If this year’s class is as productive as last year’s for Cleveland, that just might be the case for the Browns next franchise quarterback.

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New President of Football Matt Ryan, along with new general manager Ian Cunningham, did not draft Michael Penix Jr. They did not trade for Kirk Cousins. However, they did take jobs where they knew they would be inheriting both quarterbacks.

Early in the offseason, many folks wondered if the Falcons would roll with Cousins for one more year, given how well the team played down the stretch this past season. That will not be the case as Cunnninham reportedly informed Cousins he will be cut from the team on March 11.

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So now what in Flowery Branch?

It’s obviously a huge offseason for Penix Jr. Given how loaded the 2027 NFL Draft is at the quarterback position, it’s fair to project next season as a make-or-break season for the former Washington Huskies star, fair or not. The Falcons will likely be a trendy pick to win the NFC South once again, as the franchise looks to host their first playoff game ever inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Over his two seasons in Atlanta, Falcons fans have seen eye-popping darts from the southpaw mixed in with some back-breaking turnovers. It seems hard to imagine anyone, even Ryan or Cunningham, could have a strong lean one way or the other on Penix Jr. going into next season with a new offensive coaching staff.

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There has already been some talk about who the Falcons should bring in to either replace or compete with Penix Jr. this offseason. Some analysts have suggested trying to trade for former Georgia Bulldogs star Stetson Bennett, who is currently Matthew Stafford’s backup quarterback in Los Angeles. Others have reported on the scuttlebutt, which centers more on Joe Flacco or Tua Tagovailoa. With no first-round pick in their arsenal in this year’s NFL Draft and only five picks overall, reaching for a quarterback the new Falcons’ brass might like seems unlikely, especially when you take a gander at the names who all could be available in next year’s draft.

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If the Falcons’ brass believes that Penix Jr. has shown enough in his 14 games played in the NFL thus far, a player like Flacco makes the most sense to join Atlanta’s quarterback room next season. If they’re on the fence about Penix Jr., Tagovailoa makes more sense as a way to throw more darts at the dartboard if the Miami Dolphins do release the former Alabama star this summer. If neither pans out, well, Atlanta has their 2027 first-round pick to potentially use to take another quarterback in what could be an all-time great draft for teams who need a new signal-caller. In fact, the Falcons have all of their picks in 2027 and 2028 outside of a seventh-rounder in 2027.

As of this writing, Atlanta only has five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, two of which are sixth and seventh-round selections. Perhaps Cunningham and Ryan stick with their five, or maybe they find interesting ways to accumulate another pick or two by trading back or trading a player on the roster we’re not even thinking about right now for additional picks in this year’s draft.

It’s no secret that the Falcons need to address a few different positions in the 2026 NFL Draft. In no particular order, it would not be a surprise to see Atlanta take a wide receiver, center, defensive tackle, cornerback, and running back with their five selections. If Atlanta is not sold on Penix Jr., couldn’t one argue that taking a flier on a quarterback would not be the worst idea in the world? The Falcons could still address multiple positions of need while still taking a shot on a quarterback in this draft. If Penn State’s Drew Allar or Arkansas’ Taylen Green are available when the Falcons are on the clock in the fourth round, would it not be worth a swing on a quarterback with the physical tools and the size those two former Power 2 quarterbacks possess?

If I were an NFL general manager, I would always lean towards taking a quarterback if I didn’t think I currently have a franchise quarterback on my roster. It’s the most important position in sports, so if you’re Atlanta, why not take a mid-round or later chance on a guy like Allar or Green? If Penix Jr. proves not be the guy this fall, along with an Allar or Green, who cares? You took a couple more swings, and you’ll be in a great spot to swing for a third time in one of the best quarterback drafts in years.

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Ultimately, if the Falcons replace Cousins with another veteran like Flacco, I would understand. Penix Jr., to me, has shown enough to see what he can do with this new staff for at least this season. I would also understand it, though, if the Falcons were to take a surprising flier on a high-ceiling, low-floor quarterback in the middle-to-late rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Finding a franchise quarterback is extremely difficult, but the best way to find them is through the NFL Draft. If Atlanta is not sure about Penix Jr., take another quarterback this year. If neither proves to be the answer, take another next year, only this time in the first round. Atlanta should keep taking quarterbacks as long as they’re not sure they have a franchise quarterback.

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It’s happening, isn’t it? It’s officially the NFL offseason, a time for Atlanta Falcons fans everywhere to recharge their fandom batteries. Following another disappointing season that ended with a losing record and the team missing the playoffs for the eighth year in a row, the Falcons fired their head football coach and general manager. The Falcons have not hosted a playoff game in their new-ish stadium that opened nearly a decade ago. We’re closing in on a decade-long streak of disappointing seasons for Atlanta’s professional football team.

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To his credit, team owner Arthur Blank shook things up to start this offseason. He created a new position for the team’s best quarterback in franchise history and all-time passing leader, Matt Ryan. The team hired Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham to work with Ryan at the top of Atlanta’s new front-office structure. The team wisely kept defensive whiz Jeff Ulbrich after they hired former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach. Stefanski’s first staff and Atlanta’s new-look front office are, on paper, a strong one.

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The best version of the Atlanta Falcons is the best team in the NFC South. No team in this division had a higher ceiling or lower floor than the Dirty Birds last season, as evidenced by their victory over the Los Angeles Rams late in the year and loss on the road against the New York Jets. Those two games occurred less than a month apart. It was, without question, one of the more frustrating seasons in Atlanta in some time because of those glimpses of that ceiling.

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The last time the Falcons won the NFC South, they went to the Super Bowl. The last time a Falcon won the MVP award, they went to the Super Bowl. Good news! ESPN released an NFL expert roundtable piece of sorts that included two writers who predicted those two important things to happen for the Falcons next season.

First, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler picked Atlanta’s star tailback Bijan Robinson as his 2026-27 season MVP. The former Texas star has led Atlanta in Approximate Value the last two seasons and crossed 2,000 total yards for the first time in his young career last year. Robinson was a first-team All-Pro and averaged 5.1 YPR on the ground and 10.4 YPR through the air. What should also help Robinson’s MVP chances next season is Tyler Allgeier’s likely departure as an unrestricted free agent. If Robinson can hover around 1,500 yards rushing and close to 1,000 yards receiving next season on a Falcons team that wins the NFC South, he will certainly be in play for the NFL MVP award. The major roadblock is not a fault of Bijan’s, but that the award has gone only to quarterbacks for over a decade now, as a tailback has not won it since Adrian Peterson won it with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2012. Peterson rushed for 2,000 yards that season. Robinson will never get there strictly by rushing the ball, but, man, how large does that combined rushing-and-receiving total need to be for Atlanta’s best player to get serious consideration next season?

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The other prediction came from ESPN’s Ben Solak, who predicted the Falcons to win the NFC South. As I wrote earlier in this piece, the last time the Falcons won the NFC South, they went to the Super Bowl. This was a team fully capable of winning the division this past year. Solak is right in that they should win it this year. I think all Falcons fans think the team should have won the division several times since they last won it in the 2016-2017 season. It’s mid-February, so a lot can obviously change between now and September, but it’s a fair expectation to place on Atlanta that the team should win the NFC South this season.

A lot of this will obviously depend on what happens at quarterback. If Michael Penix is healthy and stays healthy, that is, without question, the most important development for Atlanta next season. With Kirk Cousins’ expected spring release, the odds are slim the Falcons will be able to hold the fort and make a playoff run if Penix Jr. can’t stay healthy next year. It’s the biggest question for the team next season because everything around the quarterback, outside of maybe wide receiver, is in a good place. The secondary has never been more intriguing and fun with talent like Jessie Bates III, AJ Terrell, Xavier Watts, and, hopefully, a good-to-go Billy Bowman Jr. next season. The offensive line should be solid again with Kaleb McGary’s return at right tackle. Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London are all coming off excellent 2025 seasons for the team. The Falcons are solid at linebacker. The biggest needs are to take some swings at wide receiver and the defensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft. They need another corner. They could use another tailback taken late in the draft. Still, you look at this projected roster, and it’s hard not to get excited about what could be in Atlanta next season.

I don’t anticipate this being a one-off for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. I suspect lots of other smart NFL analysts and writers will forecast good fortune for the team next season. Ryan leading the franchise is exciting. The hires of Cunningham and Stefanski could be great. The Falcons hired perhaps the best offensive line coach in the game, Bill Callahan. New quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt could be the sneaky-best coaching addition of the bunch. The Falcons are also reportedly unveiling new uniforms this spring for good measure. (This would mean that the team’s current uniforms were never worn by a Falcons team that made the postseason.)

It’s Smart NFL People Love The Falcons season. Best to enjoy it. The actual games will be here before you know it.

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We are still a little more than two months away from the 2026 NFL Draft. The Super Bowl LX is tomorrow evening. And then there will not be any NFL, college football, or even high school football games for six-ish months. However, I have noticed over the years that leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, I think about the NFL Draft more and more, only to completely cease Draft Talk until the week leading up to the NFL Draft. So I thought it might be fun to write about the final NFL Mock Draft I completed for my Atlanta Falcons.

Let’s dive in.

The Falcons do not own their own first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. They traded it to the Los Angeles Rams in a deal that netted the Falcons an additional first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (which became James Pearce Jr.) and a third-round pick. The Rams received the Falcons’ 2025 second-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick, and, most importantly, the Falcons’ 2026 first-round pick.

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The former Tennessee star led all rookies in sacks with 10.5 this season. Atlanta’s other first-round pick, Jalon Walker, finished second in sacks with 5.5. Sure, the price was steep for Atlanta to address their pass-rushing woes, but former general manager Terry Fontenot made the right move by adding Walker and Pearce Jr. in last year’s draft. Yes, it hurts not to have a first-round pick this year, but I think most Falcons fans are perfectly content with their dual first-round haul in 2025.

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In the second round, Atlanta has the 48th pick, and I chose Miami’s Keionte Scott. Cornerback feels like where the Falcons need to go. Maybe you go defensive tackle if an excellent player drops. In the PFSN draft simulator, Florida State’s Darrell Jackson Jr. fell here when I was on the clock, but I did not pull the trigger. Scott just played in the CFP National Championship, was a two-time JUCO All-American, and had the third-highest grade for corners in college football last season, per PFF. The Falcons obviously struck gold the last time they took an ACC corner early in AJ Terrell, and I really like adding Scott here if he’s there for the Falcons. Atlanta has quietly created an extremely fun secondary with Jessie Bates III, Billy Bowman Jr., Xavier Watts, Terrell, and more. Let’s keep the party going with Scott in the slot.

Then, the Falcons are up at No. 79. Again, if you went defensive tackle here, I would understand. Hand up, I did not take a defensive tackle here or anywhere in my mock draft. That very well could be a huge oversight on my part. The Falcons have used six picks on defensive tackles and defensive ends combined in the last two drafts, though. It would make sense for the Falcons’ new general manager, Ian Cunningham, to address the interior through free agency with so much draft capital already invested at the edge spots. So I took Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, who followed his head coach from James Madison to Indiana and won a national title this season. The Falcons have not taken a wideout this high in the draft since they took Drake London at No. 8 in 2022. This room needs so much more juice, although I have refused to sell any of my Darnell Mooney stock. Sarratt feels like a throwback to the Michael Jenkins pick in 2004. Just get a solid wideout across from London. PFF graded Sarratt out as the 25th-best wideout in college football last year. His nickname is also apparently “Waffle House”, so I feel great about Sarratt trading in his Crimson red for a different shade next season in Atlanta.

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Let’s combine picks No. 114 and No. 195 for the Dirty Birds.

The Florida Gators had a terrible season. Yes, that did happen. However, offensive tackle Austin Barber was not one of the reasons why the Gators went 4-8. Across four seasons, Barber totalled 2,728 snaps. He’s thrived as a run-blocker with a 90 PFF grade. He was up-and-down in pass-pro last year. With legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan in Atlanta, I like taking Barber here. Before the season, he was a projected first-rounder, and I like the value.

I then took Clemson wide receiver running back Adam Randall to take Tyler Allgeier’s role in 2026, backing up star tailback Bijan Robinson. The Tigers had a miserable 2025 season, but Randall averaged nearly five yards per carry and caught thirty-eight passes out of the backfield. I like taking a gamble on him in the mid-rounds with his versatility as a wideout and tailback.

Finally, at pick No. 232, I took the player I’ve taken in this spot at least 32 times over the last month – Indiana center Pat Coogan. The national champ was PFF’s 25th-best center last year and was excellent in pass protection, allowing zero sacks and zero QB hits. The Notre Dame transfer feels like the perfect late-round guy for the Falcons to develop behind Ryan Neuzil.

My door is always open, Atlanta Falcons President of Football Operations Matt Ryan.

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Saturday evening, the Atlanta Falcons announced that Kevin Stefanski was going to be the franchise’s next head football coach. The twentieth of all-time, in fact. The former head coach of the Cleveland Browns amassed a 45-66 record across his six seasons in The Land. Atlanta has not had a head football coach with this much NFL head-coaching experience since the team hired the late Dan Reeves in 1997. (Let’s hope that Stefanski follows in Reeves’ footsteps and takes Atlanta to a Super Bowl in Year 2.)

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Matt Ryan, the new President of Football for the Falcons, has made his first big move as the top decision-maker for Atlanta.

Let’s dive into my three takes after thinking about the hire over the weekend.

He’s A High-Floor Choice

Stefanski feels like a high-floor choice by Ryan and the Falcons’ brass. The former Browns head football coach was awarded Coach of the Year honors by the Associated Press on two different occasions in Cleveland. He won double-digit games in Cleveland twice. That’s something that has only happened one other time since I arrived in this world in 1991. In 1994, Bill Belichick guided the Browns to their last eleven-win season before Stefanski. That obviously doesn’t mean Stefanski will be the next Belichick. Of course not. But it does mean it would be unwise to overlook the former All-Ivy League safety’s accomplishments in an organization that has not done a whole lot of winning over the last couple of decades.

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I also like that Stefanski jumped on board with the plan to retain elite defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Atlanta, like Cleveland, was top-5 in the NFL this season in sack percentage. Stefanski clearly values the defensive side of the ball, and for the first time in a long time, Atlanta’s defense was both feisty and fun. It made all the sense in the world to keep Ulbrich in his post for the next staff, and Stefanski has wisely followed suit. It’s not broken, so let’s not do something silly and try to fix it.

Combine that with the report that legendary NFL offensive line coach Bill Callahan will be joining Stefanski’s staff in Atlanta, and you don’t have to squint too hard to see a dynamite staff being assembled for the Falcons in 2026.

We Have To Talk About The Quarterback

I’d love to give Stefanski, Ryan, too, for that matter, honestly, a dose of truth serum about their vision for the quarterback position in 2026 and beyond for the Falcons. Does it include Kirk Cousins, whom Stefanski coached in Minnesota? Or does it include Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a season-ending injury, his third major knee injury in his football career, in a Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers? Does it include trading for Dillon Gabriel as a form of insurance on Penix?

It’s an interesting conundrum, as one of the biggest reasons Stefanski is still not coaching the Browns is because of what happened at quarterback. He understands better than most just how critical it is that he and Ryan make the right choice at quarterback in 2026 and beyond. That might mean a final chance for Penix Jr. in 2026 and a reset in 2027, or it might mean Penix Jr. is better and healthier than ever and the Falcons have their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. What cannot happen is multiple years of uncertainty and musical chairs at the most important position in the sport. After his second season in Atlanta in 2027, for Stefanski to work long-term in this city, the quarterback question has to be settled.

Will The Falcons Regret Not Taking A Bigger Risk?

There are numerous head-coaching vacancies this cycle, and there are several very intriguing names this cycle, too. The Falcons snagged one of them in Stefanski.

It’s interesting that among the four teams that remain in the NFL Playoffs, two are retread hires who won a lot in their only other head-coaching stops in Mike Vrabel and Sean Peyton. The other two are in their first stop as the head man and were elite coordinators before, in Sean McVay and Mike Macdonald. These two pairings at the top of their respective conferences perfectly illustrate that one can never really know which way to go.

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Sometimes, the retread hire is the path an organization should follow, just ask Kansas City Chiefs fans with Andy Reid. Sometimes, it’s the young, bright offensive mind, just ask San Francisco 49ers fans with Kyle Shanahan.

This stuff is hard.

Ultimately, I like the gamble on Stefanski. I liked the process and the range of candidates Atlanta spoke with. I like that Ulbrich will return as defensive coordinator. However, like so many other things in this sport, I wonder less about the head coach and worry more about the quarterback. If Stefanski gets it right, he’ll be here for a while. If he doesn’t, he won’t. That’s how it is across the NFL – the Falcons are no different.

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The Atlanta Falcons have yet to host a playoff game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a building they opened in 2017. Since NFC South rival Carolina won the division this year and punched their ticket to the postseason, the Falcons now have the longest playoff drought in the NFC. Only the New York Jets have missed the postseason for a longer stretch of time. Not to mention the Falcons lost their franchise quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., to a partially torn ACL in November. The Falcons also fired their head coach and general manager. That is, unquestionably, a lot of Yikes.

It has also been the theme for the organization for the last seven years.

But then Blank hired an organizational legend in former NFL MVP & team Ring of Honor member Matt Ryan to be Atlanta’s President of Football.

After three seasons as an analyst of the NFL at CBS, the greatest quarterback in franchise history has elected to take the reins of a franchise that was in desperate need of an Optimism Boost. Ryan has instantly provided that necessary jolt for the Falcons. He hasn’t even hired his first general manager or head coach yet, but the addition of Ryan to the top of the organization feels like a positive step in the right direction.

Good feelings are needed, particularly after yet another disappointing season. Nine months is a long time, and the addition of Ryan to the Big Chair in Atlanta will help make the offseason fly by.

Personally, I haven’t been this energized about the future of the Atlanta Falcons than I have over the last month in a very long time. Sure, the Falcons finished the 2025 regular season 8-9 for what feels like the nineteenth season in a row. However, the Falcons did finish the season on a four-game winning streak that included a victory over Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams on primetime. Kyle Pitts did have his best season yet as a Falcon. Atlanta’s star tailback Bijan Robinson does get Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk comparisons. Wideout Drake London was the fifth-highest graded player at his position this season, per PFF.

It wasn’t just the skill-position guys on offense that performed well in 2025. The Falcons’ pass rush was returned with a vengeance as they earned the fourth-highest sack percentage in the NFL, per SumerSports. That side of the ball is loaded with young talent like James Pearce Jr., Jalon Walker, Xavier Watts, Billy Bowman Jr., from the 2025 NFL Draft alone, and so many other guys that I may write about more on another day. (Four more years of Jessie Bates III, please!)

Speaking of Pearce Jr. and Walker, yes, the general manager, Terry Fontenot, who traded back into the first round to take the former, is no longer employed by the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, the Falcons paid a big-time price to load up on the defensive line, but the Falcons look to have nailed both selections. The former Tennessee star LEO led rookies in splash plays this season, with Walker in the top-5, too, with the former also coming in 13th in the NFL in sacks at 11 among edge rushers who qualified, per PFF. Atlanta has been trying to fix the defensive line for what has felt like my entire adult life, and for the first time in a long time, it, well, finally looked fixed. Atlanta was at the very bottom of the NFL in sack percentage this time a year ago, and now they have one of the most vaunted defensive lines in the sport because of Terry Fontenot’s bold-but-wise move.

Then you look at who the Falcons are rumored to be interested in and who the Falcons have interviewed for their key front-office and head-coaching vacancies. You see the Chicago Bears’ Ian Cunningham, and you see San Francisco’s Josh Williams, two guys with two teams that are still in the playoffs as of this writing, in the mix for the general manager role. You see Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, former Cleveland Browns head football coach Kevin Stefanski, former Baltimore Ravens head football coach John Harbaugh – before the New York Giants hire, obviously – and you see a couple of other intriguing names like former New York Jets head football coach Robert Saleh and former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.

On the surface, this is exactly the kind of names you want to see paired with Ryan. Cunningham and Williams are two guys with the backgrounds that should excite fans. Kubiak has been an elite offensive mind in back-to-back stops in New Orleans and Seattle with journeyman quarterbacks in both instances. You have Stefanski, who was an Associated Press Coach of the Year winner on two different occasions, an award a Browns head coach had not won since 1980 with Sam Rutigliano. McDaniel made the postseason twice in his four seasons in Miami, something the Falcons haven’t done in nearly a decade now. Saleh, paired with an offensive coordinator from the Shanahan coaching tree, would also make a lot of sense.

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The list of those aforementioned names, paired with Ryan at the top of the organizational chart, has the look and feel of the start of something great in Atlanta. It certainly has the potential. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Falcons were getting embarrassed at home and on the road by the Dolphins and Jets, respectively.

Now? Never better.

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That’s because there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the Atlanta Falcons in 2026 and beyond. Ryan is both a feel-good story and a worthy gamble – what do you have to lose as a franchise taking a chance on an all-time great to lead your team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017? The Falcons have an elite pass rush again and a secondary loaded with both young and veteran talent alike. Atlanta could retain two key coaches in defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, depending on who gets tabbed as the next head coach. All of this optimism, and none of us have the slightest clue who is going to be the starting quarterback to open next season for the Falcons.

How wild is that?

It’s hard to feel this good and this energized about a team with the kind of quarterback concerns the Falcons currently face, but that’s a testament to how quickly things change in sports and, thus, why we love them. Mac Jones could be under center for the Dirty Birds in Week 1 this fall, and I’d be just as excited about starting this next chapter. In the NFL, you can always find a way to right the ship, and that’s what it feels like in Atlanta right now. Let’s enjoy it.

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