Updated Atlanta Falcons Power Rankings Post Free Agency

The Atlanta Falcons are just over a week into the new league year, and they have been very busy making additions to their roster heading into the 2026 season. While the moves have been many, they have not necessarily been splashy. New general manager Ian Cunningham has infused this team with veteran players and competent depth. 

His stated goal was to “raise the floor” of what this could achieve next season, and he likely did that with several low-risk contracts. Those moves have done little to inspire much confidence in NFL analyst Eric Edholm. 

The writer put together his post-free agency power rankings now that the dust from the flurry of early moves from the last week has begun to subside. He had the Falcons holding fast on their spot at No. 22 in the NFL. 

“The Falcons are going with the all-lefty, injury-prone duo of Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, and there's obviously some risk to this plan. Counting on just one of those two QBs to play a whole season uninterrupted would be tough, given that it's only happened once (in 2023, when Tagovailoa made 17 starts); the possibility that both will stay upright feels even more remote. Franchise-tagging tight end Kyle Pitts kept him locked down, but Atlanta ultimately lost more than it gained over the first week of free agency. That's a tough reality for a team that lacks a first-round pick and currently has just five selections overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Then there's the matter of whatever NFL discipline might come from the multiple criminal charges (including three felonies) faced by James Pearce Jr., the pass rusher for whom the Falcons traded this year's Round 1 choice. These are some nervous times for this team's fans, who have to hope last year's underachieving can be washed away with the arrival of Kevin Stefanski and his new staff,” Edholm wrote.

National opinions have varied on the signings they have made, but the success the Falcons eventually have next season will come down to the quarterback position. They added Tua Tagovailoa on a veteran minimum to come in and take starter snaps during the offseason activities before entering a quarterback battle with incumbent starter Michael Penix Jr. after he returns from his ACL injury at some point this summer. 

This roster still features the likes of Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts Sr., Jessie Bates III, a solid offensive line, A.J. Terrell Jr., and more. If they can simply get some consistent production from the quarterback (the million-dollar question that every team must answer before becoming a consistent winner), then they should see some results bend their way in 2026. 

Edholm wrote that the Falcons largely lost more than they gained in free agency, but the upcoming legal decision on James Pearce Jr. is what looms the largest. He is the reason they don’t have a first-round pick this spring, and there is a non-zero chance that his time with the franchise is over after just one season. 

That is a brutal reality for a Falcons team that has just five picks in this draft. 

After missing out on the playoffs for eight straight seasons, the Falcons have become quite familiar with this sort of ranking. Despite several finishes just outside the top spot in the NFC South (including last season when they finished in a three-way tie for first), they have struggled for significant stretches every season since 2017 and hurt themselves more often than not. 

Elsewhere in the NFC South, Edholm has the Carolina Panthers dropping one spot to No. 17, the Buccaneers dropping one spot to No. 19, and the Saints holding steady at No. 23. 

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