A deep breakdown of the Atlanta Falcons 53-man roster
Backs
- Devonta Freeman
- Ito Smith
- Qadree Ollison
- Brian Hill
- Kenjon Barner
- Keith Smith
Dirk Koetter will have his surplus of backs this upcoming season, keeping six total. Starter Devonta Freeman looks to bounce back after an injury-plagued season last year. Freeman should be able to top the 1,000-yard mark this upcoming season with a better offensive line and with Koetter’s run-first offense.
Overall, the Falcons have a young and talented backfield behind veteran back Freeman even with the loss of Tevin Coleman in the offseason. Ito Smith is going into his second year and will likely be the first back off of the bench. He should many more snaps this season.
Rookie Qadree Ollison looked good in the preseason playing both running back and fullback. I see the Falcons using him more in goal-line situations as a power rusher. His powerful style is a nice change of pace from Freeman and Smith.
Brian Hill is back with the Falcons after having a strong preseason. I originally thought Hill was the odd man out as I knew Freeman, Smith, and Ollison were locks at running back. They would then have to make a decision with Hill or Barner. Personally, I would have picked Kenjon Barner just because of his play on special teams, but the Falcons kept five running backs instead of four so both made the roster.
Fullback Ricky Ortiz who played with the Atlanta Falcons last season but struggled, made the initial 53-man roster but days after they released him and picked up fullback Keith Smith on the waiver wire. Keith Smith is an improvement over Ricky Ortiz and had a couple of productive seasons for the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys.
Wide Receivers
- Julio Jones
- Mohamed Sanu
- Calvin Ridley
- Russell Gage
- Justin Hardy
- Olamide Zaccheaus
The receiver group is still the same from last year with the one, two, three punch of Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Calvin Ridley. These guys should all feast once again in 2019.
Calvin Ridley should make for some competition as the number two receiver after a strong rookie season where he had 821 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. This season, I expect him to have over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns even as the number three guy, and by the end of the season, starting alongside Julio Jones.
Russell Gage beat out Justin Hardy, who held the fourth spot last season. Hardy had a very uneventful preseason only catching 4 receptions for 48 yards. The Falcons appear ready to see what second-year receiver Gage can bring to the table.