2025 NFL Season Preview: Atlanta Falcons

2025 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
DE Morgan Fox, OLB Leonard Floyd, LB Divine Deable, S Jordan Fuller, KR Jamal Agnew.
Early Draft Picks:
DE Jalon Walker, DE James Pearce, S Xavier Watts, CB Billy Bowman. Falcons Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
WR Rondale Moore, C Drew Dalman, DE Matthew Judon, DT Grady Jarrett, DT Eddie Goldman, OLB Lorenzo Carter, LB Nate Landman, CB Dee Alford, S Justin Simmons, S Richie Grant.

2025 Atlanta Falcons Offense:
The Falcons shocked everyone in the 2024 NFL Draft. They were expected to take Laiatu Latu with the No. 8 overall selection. Instead, they spent it on Michael Penix Jr. after giving Kirk Cousins $100 million two months earlier. The decision seemed asinine until Cousins had a woeful stretch in the middle of the season in which he couldn’t stop throwing interceptions. Atlanta eventually gave up on him, switching to Penix in the final few games. Penix responded well, performing much better than post-October Cousins, albeit in a small sample size.

Penix will be expected to take the next step with some talented weapons. Drake London caught 100 passes for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns last year. He’ll reprise his role as the team’s No. 1 receiver, while the second option, Darnell Mooney, was eight yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards on 64 receptions. Kyle Pitts, meanwhile, will be returning as the starting tight end. Pitts had some big games in 2024, but was mostly a disappointment. Many keep expecting Pitts to have a breakout season, but it just never happens.

The best player at Penix’s disposal will be Bijan Robinson. The talented back logged 1,456 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 61 receptions for 431 receiving yards. He scored 15 times in the process. Robinson, entering his third year, will have a chance to advance himself into the very upper tier of running backs and perhaps lead the league in rushing. If, however, Robinson gets hurt and misses time, the Falcons will be able to turn to a very capable backup in Tyler Allgeier.

Everyone discussed thus far in Atlanta’s offense is a returning player. Ten of the 11 starters were on the team last year. The only change is at center, as Drew Dalman departed via free agency. Dalman, a very capable blocker, will be replaced by Ryan Neuzil, who struggled in eight starts last season. It’s unclear why the Falcons didn’t put forth more energy in either retaining or replacing Dalman. Either way, Neuzil will be flanked by Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron. While Bergeron is a good blocker, Lindstrom is one of the top guards in the NFL, so despite the downgrade from Dalman to Neuzil, the Falcons should be able to block well in the interior.

The Falcons don’t have any issues on the edge, save, perhaps, for Jake Matthews’ age. Matthews is now 33, but he performed on a high level last year. His bookend, Kaleb McGary, is one of the better right tackles in the NFL.



2025 Atlanta Falcons Defense:
There will be just one new starter in Atlanta’s offense. That number is substantially higher on the defensive side of the ball. Atlanta spent most of its energy this offseason upgrading the stop unit that has finished better than 20th in yards allowed only once since 2017.

Atlanta’s greatest defensive issue last year was failing to generate a consistent pass rush. The Falcons did a better job of getting pressure on the quarterback late in the year, but there was no certainty that this would happen again. The front office compensated by signing Leonard Floyd in free agency. Floyd, 33 in September, isn’t the same player he once was, but is still capable of rattling opposing quarterbacks.

The Falcons decided that Floyd wasn’t enough to enhance the pass rush, so they spent two first-round picks on edge rushers. Jalon Walker, chosen at No. 15, was expected to be drafted in the top 10, so he provided great value when he was on the board. James Pearce, taken 26th, has both amazing upside and tape coming out of Tennessee. Odds are at least one produces well as a rookie. If both do, Atlanta’s defense will be much better than it was in 2024.

There will also be two new starters on the defensive line, but only one will be a new signing. This is because Grady Jarrett departed via free agency. This would have been a devastating loss a couple of years ago when Jarrett performed on a Pro Bowl level, but he struggled last year. Still, he was better than replacement Duke Orhorhoro, but Orhorhoro was a second-round rookie who should be better with experience. He’ll play alongside David Onyemata and newly acquired Morgan Fox. Onyemata was a bit of a disappointment last year, but we’ve seen him thrive in recent seasons, so he could rebound. Fox was a below-average lineman for the Chargers in 2024.

There will also be a new starter in the secondary, as either free agent signing Jordan Fuller or third-round rookie Xavier Watts will join Jessie Bates at safety. Bates is one of the top safeties in the NFL, so the Falcons would love it if one of their new guys performed near the same level. Watts has a chance, as he was expected to be chosen earlier than the third frame.

Atlanta’s cornerbacks will return from a year ago. The team has a solid pair of outside corners, including A.J. Terrell, who is one of the better players at his position in the league. Mike Hughes isn’t as good, but he’s a quality starter. The one weakness here is at nickel, where Dee Alford struggled last year.

Rounding out the defense, the linebacker corps will have one change. Nate Landman is gone, but the Falcons may still have a pair of capable starters in Troy Andersen and Kaden Elliss. Andersen isn’t as good as Landman, but he was fine in limited action last year. Elliss is definitely the better of the two. He’s at his best when rushing the passer.



2025 Atlanta Falcons Schedule and Intangibles:
Matt Ryan was 58-39 at home. However, the Falcons have been a poor 48-52 as a host over the past 11 years, so the magic has vanished.

Master of the onside kick, Younghoe Koo was unusually inaccurate last year. He was just 25-of-34, though he did hit 6-of-9 from 50-plus.

Bradley Pinion was awful last year. He had one of the worst net-punting averages in the NFL, and he didn’t do a good job of pinning the opposition inside the 20.

Atlanta has a balanced schedule. It has tough battles against the Vikings, Redskins, Bills, 49ers, and Rams. However, it also gets to take on the Dolphins, Patriots, Colts, Jets, Seahawks, and Cardinals.



2025 Atlanta Falcons Rookies:
Go here for the Falcons Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.



2025 Atlanta Falcons Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks		Offensive Line		Secondary
Running Backs		Defensive Line		Special Teams
Receivers		Linebackers		Coaching