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3 hours ago
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Do The Falcons Have The Best Young Team In The NFL?
Do The Falcons Have The Best Young Team In The NFL? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As we transition into the 2025 season, there are a lot of questions for the Falcons, but one simple one is if they have the best young roster in the league. There is a lot of hope for the future of this team, but first they must show that they can play well together and make the playoffs. Advertisement The Falcons have been stuck right under the playoffs since 2018, and hope that this is the year that all changes. They have a good young core on both offense and defense to start out, and each player has shown flashes of stardom. Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown run against the Carolina Panthers in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz StadiumBrett Davis Imagn Images It all starts with running back Bijan Robinson, who is already a pro bowler and had a 1,456-yard rushing season with 15 total touchdowns. Robinson was third in the NFL in rushing yards behind Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. Drake London is entering his fourth year and has already put up productive numbers in the NFL and arguably should have been a pro bowler in 2024. He is coming off a 1,000-yard season where he also caught 100 passes for the first time in his career. Advertisement Michael Penix Jr. is entering his first full season as a starter and looks to have a breakout year with the pieces that he has on the offense. Penix is one of the young up and coming quarterbacks this league has to offer and will look to show that this season. The Defense has added some young talent as well with draft picks Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. All of those players can realistically start in 2025 and change the complexity of the defense that has struggled for years. The Falcons are going to rely heavily on youth and their stars for years to come. They will also look to prove that they have one of, if not the brightest future in the league. Related: One Trade Idea For Kirk Cousins And Kyle Pitts That The Falcons Can Look At Related: How The Drake London And Darnell Mooney One-Two Punch Works For The Falcons This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
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3 hours ago
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Where Do The Falcons Stand Now That We Are In July?
Where Do The Falcons Stand Now That We Are In July? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With training camp only 23 days away, it is time to look at how the Falcons are looking now that we are almost at the two-month mark until the season. The Falcons are in the best-case scenario when it comes to how their offense looks, and how they have brought in the necessary pieces for their defense. Advertisement With key new additions like Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., Xavier Watts, Jamal Agnew and Leonard Floyd, there have been key adds to the defensive side of the ball. On offense it is a bit different, it is mainly star players gaining more experience and coming off their best seasons. Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11) reacts after a tackle against the Tennessee Volunteers in the third quarter at Sanford Davis-Imagn Images The main story for the Falcons outside of the Kirk Cousins drama, is how Michael Penix Jr. can adjust to being a full-time starter. As of right now it is looking like Penix can take over this team and can be the quarterback that the Falcons have been looking for since Matt Ryan left. The other story has been about Kyle Pitts and what will happen with him. As of right now he is a Falcon and will need to have his best career season if he wants to remain a member of the team and get a new contract for 2026. There have been multiple trade rumors for him including the Chiefs and Dolphins. Advertisement As of right now, the Falcons are one of the more intriguing teams for the 2025 season and will look to continue to improve. There are so many more stories to come out before the season begins and more updates for the Falcons will continue to come. Related: What To Look For At Training Camp For The Falcons Related: Do The Falcons Have The Best Young Team In The NFL? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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3 hours ago
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What To Look For At Training Camp For The Falcons
What To Look For At Training Camp For The Falcons originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Falcons go into 2025 with some very high expectations, and there is a lot to look for when they reach training camp. It all starts with how the rookies adjust to their first training camps as pros and how they handle joint practices. Advertisement The team has the highest expectations they have had since making the super bowl back in 2026, and all of that has to do with the young talent they have drafted over the last five seasons. Each of those players will have more to prove than anything this season, and training camp is where to start. Jun 11, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) and head coach Raheem Morris on the field during Minicamp at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Zanine-Imagn Images After minicamp, the Falcons made some small moves like signing running back Jashaun Corbin, as well as releasing Jase McClellan. Besides that, the Falcons have not been too active recently in the trade market or free agent market. The main things to look for at training camp is mainly how the young guys play and how they show their strengths right away. It will also be important to look at weaknesses and what to work on before the season begins. Advertisement Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. will look to both be in the running for defensive rookie of the year, as they both have looked good so far since the draft. Rookies Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. are also looking good and hoping to be starters in 2025. The Falcons will most importantly also look for how Michael Penix Jr. adjusts to the offense and how he utilizes his weapons. It will be valuable to the Falcons if he can get adjusted to the offense pretty quickly. There will always be a lot to look for, but these are the most important for now, as we reach training camp and the 2025 season. Related: New Team Could Emerge As Kyle Pitts Suitor After Former Falcons Tight End Gets Traded Related: One Trade Idea For Kirk Cousins And Kyle Pitts That The Falcons Can Look At This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
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3 hours ago
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Falcons Ranked 21st In Recent Power Rankings
Falcons Ranked 21st In Recent Power Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. NFL Rankings currently have the Falcons at 21st for the 2025 season, and it is currently feeling too low for a franchise on the rise with some young talent. They have some questions to answer before the season starts, but as of right now seem to be in a spot they are comfortable in. Advertisement It all starts with the draft and how they filled the much-needed holes in the defense and were able to strengthen their defensive line. The rookie class is looking to be one of the main reasons this ranking goes up near the start of the season. Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) runs during a football game between Tennessee and Chattanooga. Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK This power ranking comes after a long offseason for the Falcons, who have been in and out of trade rumors since the beginning of free agency. Players like Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts have been linked to numerous teams, but talks have died down since the draft. Training camp will start on July 24, and there is a lot to look for when it comes to how the Falcons prepare to become a playoff team again. They will look to completely rewrite their franchise and utilize their young weapons to get back to the playoffs and make a deep run. Advertisement Michael Penix Jr. continues to improve and get comfortable in the offense, as he prepares for a full-time starter gig. He also looks to work more with Drake London and Bijan Robinson, as they prepare to have all-pro level seasons. The Falcons will look to use this as motivation and prove doubters wrong, as they prepare for a hopeful season. Related: Where Do The Falcons Stand Now That We Are In July? Related: New Team Could Emerge As Kyle Pitts Suitor After Former Falcons Tight End Gets Traded This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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a day ago
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NFL offseason power rankings: No. 21 Atlanta Falcons draft gamble on Michael Penix Jr. might pay off
Other NFL team previews: 32. Titans | 31. Saints | 30. Browns | 29. Panthers | 28. Jets | 27. Giants | 26. Raiders | 25. Patriots | 24. Colts | 23. Dolphins | 22. Jaguars The Atlanta Falcons made the most polarizing NFL Draft pick in several years when they took Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall last year. Given how interest in the draft has skyrocketed, it might be the most debated pick ever. Advertisement Except, there wasn't much debate. Practically everyone hated it. Here were some of the reviews of the Penix pick from major media outlets on draft night: "This is a failure on every single level." "I just wonder why the Falcons would pick a QB at 8 knowing that Kirk Cousins is their guy for the next two to three years." "Like the player, but don't like the pick." "An older quarterback with medical issues as a developmental pick is a bit of a head-scratcher." "This feels [like] a reach." "What is going on in Atlanta? This pick makes absolutely no sense." Advertisement On The Falcoholic, more than 1,500 fans voted on the Penix pick and 47% gave it an F. To say the pick was panned is an understatement; it was hard to find anyone who gave it a benefit of the doubt. Well, about that. A year later, the so-called madness looks prescient. Penix took over for the ineffective Cousins late in the season, had some promising moments and the Falcons declared he would be their starter in 2025. Cousins is still on the roster, and that seems odd until you recognize that the Falcons have gone about fixing their quarterback conundrum in an unconventional way. That unorthodox approach is why they were endlessly mocked for the Penix pick (spoiler alert: most NFL analysts mock anything that doesn't entirely align with how all NFL teams have operated for decades). Look at it this way: The Falcons paid $160 million and also used the eighth pick of the draft on quarterback, and ended up with a player who they truly believe can be a franchise quarterback for many years. Plenty of teams that have struggled forever to figure out quarterback would happily sign up for that scenario. NFL teams only have to get the right answer on the test when it comes to quarterback; they don't need to show their work. Now comes the part of finding out if Penix can be a top-end starting quarterback. There are plenty of reasons to be excited, but that's based off just 105 passes. Penix completed only 58.1% of his attempts, had three touchdowns and three interceptions with a 78.9 passer rating. All of those numbers will have to improve significantly for Penix to pay off on his promise. But Penix had some exciting flashes over his three starts, and that was enough for the Falcons to turn the page to a new era. "Realistically, the light at the end of the tunnel for us, despite how bad and poor we played on defense or anywhere else, is the quarterback," coach Raheem Morris said after a season-ending loss, via the team's site. "The organization has a quarterback that is certainly bright, that is certainly our future, that certainly can go out and make any single play and play in any single game that you can play in. Those are the things we'll talk about I'm sure ... moving forward. We'll figure out ways to fix what we need to fix. We'll figure out ways to fix the things we got to get done. But Michael Penix is certainly outstanding. He's certainly one of the guys that's going to play in this league and absolutely dominate for as long as we allow him." Advertisement The Falcons are hopeful that Penix is fantastic right away and helps elevate the rest of the roster. Penix, Bijan Robinson and Drake London could form the foundation of an exciting offense. The defense is a work in progress, but doubling up on pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round of the NFL Draft might fix Atlanta's massive and longstanding weakness on the edge. Hiring Jeff Ulbrich, formerly of the New York Jets, to be their new defensive coordinator could help too. The Falcons were 8-9 last season despite uneven quarterback play and a poor defense. Improvements in each area could put them in line to take the NFC South. We'll need to figure out what Atlanta has in Penix first. At this moment the Falcons are pretty happy to have their second-year quarterback. Nobody saw that coming when he was drafted. Offseason grade The Falcons' huge trade up to draft James Pearce Jr. in the first round was widely criticized (the front office must be used to that by now). The Falcons overpaid, giving up 2025 second- and seventh-round picks as well as next year's first-round pick to the Rams for the 26th overall pick, but Atlanta has struggled to find a decent pass rusher for years. It felt the need to make a dramatic move to solve the problem. The other first-round pick of edge rusher Jalon Walker at 15th overall was fantastic value. Defense was the focus of the offseason. The key moves were re-signing cornerback Mike Hughes, then adding linebacker Divine Deablo, pass rusher Leonard Floyd and defensive end Morgan Fox. Atlanta got better on defense, though cutting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett in a salary cap related move did hurt. Advertisement Grade: C Quarterback report The Falcons weren't able to trade Kirk Cousins, but there are also reasons they didn't cut him before a $10 million roster bonus was due in March or give him away in a deal. Michael Penix Jr. isn't a sure thing, and he had a long injury history in college too. The Falcons are paying too much for a backup quarterback, but how many teams see their seasons fall apart when the starter misses time and they have no decent backup option? Cousins looked bad last season, which is why he was benched, but he also was coming off an Achilles injury and has a pretty good 13-year NFL track record. If Penix gets injured or is ineffective, the Falcons still have a decent option. If Cousins ends up having to play and helps the Falcons win games, the cost won't matter that much. The Falcons have big expectations for Michael Penix Jr. in his second NFL season. (Photo by) (Todd Kirkland via Getty Images) BetMGM odds breakdown From Yahoo's Ben Fawkes: 'It's Michael Penix Jr.'s team this season, and the Falcons will only go as far as he takes them. With a win total of 7.5 at BetMGM and favored to miss the postseason (-185), oddsmakers don't have particularly high hopes for a Falcons team that spent two first-round picks on pass-rushers to fortify one of the league's least feared D-lines. Atlanta has gone under its win total in six of the past seven seasons. Is this the year that RB Bijan Robinson truly breaks out? He has the fourth-best odds (12-to-1) to win the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award." Yahoo's fantasy take From Yahoo's Scott Pianowski: 'The longer I play fantasy football the more I want my rosters to skew younger, so I get the best part of a player's career. Bijan Robinson is an appealing pick into his age-23 season, after outscoring all the backs over the final 12 weeks last year. It took new OC Zac Robinson some time to figure out Robinson's best usage last year; he's there now. I realize Robinson is high on everyone's board, but he enters the summer as my RB1, the best of the backfield targets. I'm happy to pass on Saquon Barkley's mileage (the workload last year is especially worrisome) and take a back who's five years younger." Stat to remember Only four teams had a pair of teammates in the top 25 of yards from scrimmage last season: Bengals (Ja'Marr Chase, Chase Brown), Vikings (Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones), Lions (Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown) and Falcons (Bijan Robinson, Drake London). Robinson had 1,887 yards, fourth in the NFL, and London ranked 25th with 1,268. The duo combined for 161 catches; 100 from London and Robinson had 61. Even better for Atlanta, London will be just 24 years old this season and Robinson will be 23. Advertisement Atlanta rode one of the best running back/receiver duos in the NFL hard last season and that's unlikely to change. Darnell Mooney is a good complimentary receiver. Tight end Kyle Pitts probably is never going to recapture his rookie season form. The Falcons didn't add anyone of note at the skill positions. The whole offense will rotate around Robinson and London again. Michael Penix Jr. peppered London with targets in his three starts, throwing to him 39 times. Robinson was a workhorse all season. We go into the season knowing exactly who will be getting a majority of the work in Atlanta's offense. Burning question Can 2 rookie pass rushers fix the defense? The Falcons haven't had a good defense in many years, and that's a trend through their franchise history. Atlanta has finished in the NFL's top 10 of points allowed and yards allowed just once since 1998 and only three times since 1977. The Falcons have finished 18th or worse in points allowed seven straight seasons (and 23rd or worse five of the past seven seasons). Part of the recent problem is pass rush. The Falcons haven't had a player get more than eight sacks in a season since Adrian Clayborn in 2017. That better change soon after the Falcons used first-round picks on pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. If both of them pay off right away, maybe the Falcons field a defense that finishes in the top half of the league. It has been a while. Best case scenario Michael Penix Jr. was a fantastic college quarterback and the Falcons saw enough late last season to turn over the offense to him going forward. We saw the 2024 rookie quarterback class shine last season, and maybe Penix fits right in with that group. If Penix hits, the Falcons have a good offensive line and stars at running back and receiver. The offense could be really good. If the defensive additions drag that unit to an average level, the Falcons could win the NFC South and be in line to control the division for a while. Nightmare scenario If we see the Falcons voluntarily start Kirk Cousins this season, we'll know things have gone awry for Atlanta. Michael Penix Jr.'s emergence last season has been overstated a bit. He had some good plays but also was far from a finished product. What if he gets exposed over a full season? He has a long injury history too. Cousins is theoretically a reliable veteran — he still needs to show last season's dip wasn't his new level going forward — but turning to him because Penix struggles would undo a lot of the excitement the Falcons have going into the season. If the Falcons don't have a winning season because of bad luck, injuries or the defense being poor again, that's not the worst outcome. Penix taking a big step backward would be. The crystal ball says Michael Penix Jr. should be just fine. He has elite talent. However, it's asking a lot for him to be an instant superstar. Last season was a solid debut but it's not like he was Jayden Daniels right away. There's work to do. Also, it's hard to believe the Falcons defense can go from 29th in DVOA to the top half of the NFL just because they added two first-round pass rushers. It often takes rookie pass rushers at least a year to adjust to the NFL. It wouldn't be fun for the Falcons to have a losing season and then watch the Rams select in their spot in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but that seems like a reasonable prediction. Unless Penix does hit his ceiling right away, which isn't an impossible dream.
