A deep breakdown of the Atlanta Falcons 53-man roster
Quarterbacks
- Matt Ryan
- Matt Schaub
Kurt Benkert and Matt Simms- Injured Reserve
The Falcons once again keep just two quarterbacks on the roster with veteran starter Matt Ryan leading the way. 38-year-old Matt Schaub is back for another year but had strong competition from Kurt Benkert before he went down with an injury that led to him being placed on injured reserve.
Danny Etling who was picked up after the Patriots released him midway through the preseason. Etling showed he can play well in the last preseason game after a shaky performance in the third preseason game for the Falcons. He ended up not making the 53-man roster but did show enough to earn a spot on the practice squad this year.
Kurt Benkert showed he can play during the Hall of Fame game and will have a chance next preseason to take the backup quarterback spot over Matt Schaub. During the Hall of Fame game, Benkert completed 19 of 34 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
During the entire preseason, Schaub completed 24 of 43 passes for 258 yards. He did not have a touchdown pass and threw one interception. If it wasn’t for Benkert’s injury head coach Dan Quinn might have had a tougher call to make regarding his backup quarterback spot.
Special Teams:
- Matt Bryant
- Matt Bosher
- Josh Harris
Giorgio Tavecchio had a descent time filling in for Matt Bryant last year during a three-game stint that saw him hit 5 for 5 on field goals, including a career-long kick from 56 yards. He also made 8 of 8 on PAT’s during that span leading the Falcons to think they may have found their future replacement at kicker.
This preseason proved that Tavecchio just wasn’t ready to lead the Falcons and they signed Blair Walsh before the last game of the preseason to create some competition. Both kickers didn’t inspire the coaching staff to make them feel confident moving into the 2019 season opener and both were released on the cutdown day.
On the same day that Tavecchio and Walsh were released the Falcons brought back longtime Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, who at the age of 44 can hope to stay healthy all season long for a team that hopes to count on “Money Matt Bryant” come playoff time.
Long snapper Josh Harris is entering his eighth season as a member of the Falcons and has brought consistency at the position as well as staying healthy most of his career. He’s started all 16 games every season except at the end of last season where he missed five games. He also earned a three-year contract extension at the end of last season.