The Atlanta Falcons released their first edition of the roster.
The Atlanta Falcons are less than two weeks away from the start of the year, wrapping up the preseason schedule this past weekend and then hitting a major milestone in the calendar.
With some very tough decisions to make, Atlanta officially cut the roster down to its initial 53 players, and there were some major surprises in terms of decisions for who was kept and who was let go. Here were the three biggest shocks from the weekend for the team with the first group they will start the season with now finalized.
Falcons Decide to Initially Keep Four Quarterbacks
All throughout training camp, the conversation was not only who is going to be the starting quarterback between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, but who would earn the third string job or if the team would even carry three quarterbacks on a weekly basis. Not only did they do that, Atlanta kept all four of its signal callers with both Jack Strand and Cooper Rush making the roster out of the gate.
As for what the plan is long-term, it remains to be seen. Clearly, the team likes Strand, but not enough to trust him as the sole third quarterback on the roster and wanted to keep Rush for insurance as well. It's doubtful all four will be on the roster for the entire season, but it is fascinating to see them carry four to start especially with this next development.
Falcons Release Tyler Goodson, Only Keep Two Running Backs
Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. will be the only two backs on the team out of the gate, which feels like a little bit of a minor shock given the strong preseason Tyler Goodson has and the fact that teams almost never only carry two. Part of this speaks to the fact that the elder Robinson will once again be the bell cow and only needs to be spelled by one, however it is an unconventional approach to roster building.
Falcons Keep 13 Defensive Backs, Just Three Outside Linebackers
With Azeez Ojulari not making the roster, the pass rushing group is thin as expected, but what does feel notable is the fact that 13 defensive backs are on the roster. Guys like Jammie Robinson, C.J. Henderson, Malcolm Dewalt IV and Natrone Brooks are all minor surprises, but it seems like Atlanta went with a strategy of keeping who they believe are the best players rather than filling out every group.
It's a bold strategy, and time will tell if it pays off.
