2026 Atlanta Falcons Team Preview

By Brian Murphy, Thursday, July 30, 2026 1:07:12 PM EDT

Atlanta hasn't tasted a winning season since 2017, and patience finally
ran out. Back-to-back 8-9 finishes sealed Raheem Morris's fate, as the
Falcons fired him following the 2025 season and ended an eight -year
postseason drought with a coaching change rather than a celebration.
Enter Kevin Stefanski. The Falcons are betting on a proven NFL head
coach, even if his resume with Cleveland is a mixed bag. Over six
seasons with the Browns, Stefanski compiled a 45 -56 record, with his
brightest moments coming in 2020 (11 -5) and 2023 (11-6) — the only
two times he guided a team to the playoffs (1 -2). Now in his seventh
year as a head coach, he heads to Atlanta looking to rewrite his legacy.
The Falcons were outscored by 48 points last season (-34 in 2024 and
-52 in 2023).
Stefanski is no overnight success story. He spent 15 seasons grinding
through the Vikings' coaching system after joining Minnesota in 2006,
working his way up to offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2019 before
earning his first head coaching opportunity in Cleveland.

The keys to Atlanta’s offense are now in Tommy Rees’ hands. He
worked under Kevin Stefanski over the past two seasons in Cleveland
(pass game specialist/tight ends coach and offensive coordinator).
Rees turned 34 in late May. His road to the NFL came via coaching for
Notre Dame and Alabama from 2017 to 2023. The San Diego Chargers
gave him an offensive assistant job in 2016. The Falcons ranked 16th
in offensive yards (5,841) and 24th in points scored (353) in 2025.
After four seasons as the Jets’ defensive coordinator, New York
appointed Jeff Ulbrich as their interim head coach for the 2024 season,
which included 12 games (3-9). He began his pro career with Atlanta in
2015, a team for which he worked for six seasons. The Falcons brought
him to run their defense in 2025, but they only had minimal improvement
in points allowed (401 – 19th) and yards allowed (5,896 – 14th).
Offense

The Falcons continue to have a run-favoring offense. They ran the ball
46.6% of the time last year, slightly down from 2024 (47.0%). Atlanta
ranked eighth in rushing yards (2,138), with 17 scores on the ground
and nine rushes gained at least 20 yards. They averaged 28.1 carries
per game while gaining 4.5 yards per rush.
Atlanta finished 20th in passing yards (3,703), with weaknesses in their
completion rate (60.9%) and passing touchdowns (19). Their offensive
line allowed 26 sacks. The Falcons’ quarterbacks minimized the
damage in interceptions (8).
Teams RATT YDS Run% ATT YDS Pass% Plays Yards
Atlanta Falcons 477 2138 0.466 546 3703 0.534 1023 5841
Offensive Run/Pass Splits

Quarterbacks

QB Tua Tagovailoa, ATL

Tua Tagovailoa projects for 1335 passing yards, 7 passing TDs, and 3 INTs, with 26 rushing yards and 0 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Atlanta Falcons. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

QB Michael Penix, ATL

Michael Penix projects for 2369 passing yards, 15 passing TDs, and 8 INTs, with 55 rushing yards and 0 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Atlanta Falcons. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

RB Bijan Robinson, ATL

Bijan Robinson projects for 309 carries for 1516 yards and 12 TDs, plus 82 catches for 698 yards and 4 TDs in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Tyler Goodson, ATL

Tyler Goodson projects for 14 carries for 54 yards and 0 TDs, plus 3 catches for 19 yards and 0 TDs in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Nathan Carter, ATL

Nathan Carter projects for limited stat volume in the current projection set in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Brian Robinson Jr., ATL

Brian Robinson.Jr. projects for 114 carries for 468 yards and 3 TDs, plus 15 catches for 102 yards and 0 TDs in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Drake London, ATL

Drake London projects for 92 catches for 1165 yards and 8.3 TDs in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Jahan Dotson, ATL

Jahan Dotson projects for 21 catches for 249 yards and 1.8 TDs in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Zachariah Branch, ATL

Zachariah Branch projects for 1 carries for 355 yards and 0 TDs, plus 33 catches for 355 yards and 1.8 TDs in the Atlanta Falcons offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.