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Michael Penix Jr. Michael Penix Jr. Will start 'eventually,' if not Week 1
Thu, Sep 3, 2026, 8:23 AM
The Falcons plan for Penix (knee) to start "eventually" this season, but head coach Kevin Stefanski has yet to decide whether Penix or Tua Tagovailoa will direct the offense Week 1 in Pittsburgh, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Penix didn't suit up for the preseason while completing his recovery from Nov. 25 surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, but he was cleared to take part in 11-on-11 drills just under two weeks ago and has been able to get some reps in with the first-team offense. Stefanski plans to continue evaluating both Penix and Tagovailoa in practices this week and next before naming a starter. Because of Penix's limitations for much of training camp, Tagovailoa initially appeared to be a strong bet to open the season as the Falcons' starter, but a poor preseason in which he fumbled twice and struggled to push the ball down the field has thus far prevented him from securing the Week 1 nod. |
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Back at practice
Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 6:18 PM
Hand (leg) participated at practice Tuesday, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Analysis: Hand was sidelined for most of August because of a leg issue, but he now seems to be back at full strength. The veteran should play a large role on the Falcons' defensive line in 2026 along with recent trade acquisition Gervon Dexter and 2024 fourth-rounder Brandon Dorlus. |
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Back in pads for practice
Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 6:13 PM
Dexter (hamstring) participated at practice Tuesday, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Analysis: Dexter was missing practice with the Bears due to a hamstring issue prior to being traded to the Falcons on Sunday, but he now appears to be back in football shape. He projects to eventually play a significant role on Atlanta's defensive line in 2026, but it could take him a couple games to get acclimated to his new surroundings. |
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Bijan Robinson Bijan Robinson Expecting more open running room in 2026
Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 3:59 PM
Robinson said Thursday that he's noticed an emphasis from the Falcons' new coaching staff in scheming up ways to create open up running room and help him reach the second level more quickly, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports. "We have a lot of different variations," Robinson said. "But, for me, it's to create space for yourself. [Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees] does a really good job of being intentional in trying to get us to the second level as fast as possible because when we get to the second level, I feel like that's where we're super dangerous as runners."
Analysis: Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards in 2025, with the 24-year-old doing much of his damage on outside runs in former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's wide-zone running scheme. The Falcons won't completely abandon those zone concepts during the upcoming season, but the new coaching staff plans to implement more gap and power-style run plays that they believe will help Robinson to maintain effectiveness and while still allowing him to put his explosiveness in the open field on display. Rees and head coach Kevin Stefanski also plan to keep Robinson heavily involved in the screen game, after he led all running backs with 20 receptions on screens last season. While working with a less talented Browns running-back room in 2025, Stefanski and Rees helped Cleveland generate 413 yards on screen plays, second-most in the NFL. |
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Brian Robinson Brian Robinson Expected to have role at goal line
Tue, Sep 1, 2026, 5:32 PM
The Athletic's Josh Kendall expects Robinson to have a goal-line role for the Falcons this season.
Analysis: "He has shown a physical style in practice that cements his role as the new Tyler Allgeier," Kendall wrote about Robinson. "Bijan Robinson fantasy managers may not like how many goal-line carries he gets." Allgeier, of course, was a thorn in the side of Bijan last season, out-carrying Robinson 19 to 17 inside the 10-yard line while matching him with seven carries apiece inside the five-yard line. Allgeier also punched in four of those seven carries for touchdowns, while Bijan scored on just two of his chances. Brian, at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, profiles similarly to Allgeier as a short-yardage, between-the-tackles, goal-line type who can get the tough yards. It sounds like he's going to have some sort of role in those situations for Atlanta this season, which could mute some of Bijan's touchdown upside. |
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Reverts to IR
Mon, Aug 31, 2026, 7:55 PM
Banks (undisclosed) reverted to the Falcons' injured reserve list Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Analysis: Banks was waived by the Falcons on Sunday with an injury designation. The linebacker will now spend the entirety of the 2026 regular season on IR unless he is waived with an injury settlement. |
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Placed on injured reserve
Mon, Aug 31, 2026, 6:31 PM
The Falcons placed Bertrand (undisclosed) on injured reserve Monday, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: The nature of Bertrand's injury is not clear, but the move to IR means the third-year pro will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the regular season, making Week 5 against the Ravens on Sunday, Oct. 11 the earliest he can return. He logged 35 tackles (13 solo) and two pass defenses across 15 regular-season games in 2025, contributing both on defense and special teams. |
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Moved to reserve/non-football injury list
Mon, Aug 31, 2026, 5:48 PM
The Falcons moved Thompson (undisclosed) to the reserve/non-football injury list Sunday, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Thompson spent all of training camp on the active/non-football injury list, making the defensive tackle eligible to start the season on the reserve/NFI list. The 23-year-old is now required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season before being eligible to return to the active roster. |
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Passes physical, taken off PUP list
Mon, Aug 31, 2026, 10:38 AM
Bowman (Achilles) passed his physical and was activated from the PUP list Sunday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Analysis: Bowman continues to make strides in his return from an Achilles injury, and the passed physical marks another positive milestone. Had he landed on the PUP list to open the season, Bowman would have been out for the first four games at minimum. Now it appears the Falcons are confident that they'll have Bowman back in the fold sooner rather than later, even if his status for Week 1 remains murky. |
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Beaux Collins Beaux Collins Placed on IR with return designation
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 11:00 PM
The Falcons placed Collins (undisclosed) on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return during the season, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Collins did not play in the Falcons' preseason finale against the Dolphins on Friday due to an unknown injury. The wide receiver will now need to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season before he is permitted to rejoin the team's active roster. |
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Battling leg injury
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 10:57 AM
Hand has missed most of training camp due to a leg injury, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: It's unknown how severe the injury is, but questions concerning Hand's health arose after Atlanta acquired Gervon Dexter from Chicago on Sunday. Hand, the 2018 No. 114 overall pick, has bounced around the NFL since being drafted, making stops in Detroit, Miami and Los Angeles (Chargers), where he most recently appeared in 13 regular-season games and amassed 29 total tackles and 1.5 sacks during the 2025-26 campaign. Until there is a definitive update, the 30-year-old should at least be considered day-to-day. |
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Traded to Atlanta
Sun, Aug 30, 2026, 9:31 AM
Dexter (hamstring) was traded to the Falcons on Sunday, NFL Insider's Jordan Schultz reports.
Analysis: Despite drawing interest from a few teams, Dexter will head to Atlanta in exchange for Clark Phillips and a fifth-round pick. The 25-year-old has appeared in 49 regular-season games for the Bears throughout his career, totaling 115 tackles and 13.5 sacks. Dexter has been battling a hamstring injury suffered during a recent practice, so his Week 1 status is in limbo. |
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Zachariah Branch Zachariah Branch Returns punt in preseason win
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 4:59 PM
Branch returned a punt for 18 yards during the Falcons' 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.
Analysis: Branch didn't see much action Friday, playing a total of four snaps (three on offense, one on special teams). However, his lone snap on special teams came as a punt returner, and he figures to see plenty of work as a returner in the upcoming season, especially if he doesn't get much playing time on offense behind Drake London, Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus. |
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Drake London Drake London Sees minimal work vs. Miami
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 4:32 PM
London played eight snaps on offense and didn't show up in the box score otherwise during the Falcons' 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.
Analysis: London was limited to playing the first quarter of Friday's exhibition game before observing the rest of the contest from the sidelines. Entering his fifth NFL season, the USC product has recorded at least 68 catches and 850 receiving yards in each of his four years with Atlanta. London has been one of the most productive receivers since entering the league in 2022, but his offensive output will be heavily tied to the production of the Falcons' starting quarterback, whether that's Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix (knee). |
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Lands on IR
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 4:15 PM
The Falcons placed Hall (undisclosed) on injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Analysis: Hall will now be forced to miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign unless he's released with an injury settlement. He most recently played for the Cardinals, appearing in two games during the 2025 season, and will now shift his focus to getting healthy. |
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Cooper Rush Cooper Rush Most pass attempts in finale
Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 3:59 PM
Rush completed 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 106 yards and a touchdown in Friday's preseason finale against the Dolphins.
Analysis: One of Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix (knee) is set to start Week 1 against the Steelers, but Rush has put consistent tape together as the No. 3 quarterback. Penix is supposedly set to start the regular season, but the quarterback has yet to progress his game availability as the preseason comes to a close. Tagovailoa was accurate in his short stint but fumbled the football early on in the contest, meaning that if Penix is not ready for Week 1 and Tagovailoa fails, Rush could see a fair amount of pass attempts in the early weeks of the regular season. |
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Jahan Dotson Jahan Dotson Three receptions in preseason finale
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:35 PM
Dotson caught all three of his targets for 27 yards in Friday's 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins.
Analysis: Dotson accounted for three of Tua Tagovailoa's seven completions while Atlanta's starters were in the game, with three going to TE Kyle Pitts and one going to RB Brian Robinson. Offensive stars Bijan Robinson and Drake London sat out the preseason finale, but Dotson's involvement Friday suggests the 2022 first-round pick of the Commanders is positioned as the Falcons' No. 2 wideout behind London heading into the regular season. |
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Brian Robinson Brian Robinson TD, fumble in preseason finale
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:29 PM
Robinson rushed five times for 14 yards and a touchdown, caught his only target for nine yards and lost a fumble in Friday's 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins.
Analysis: Robinson played the first quarter with most of Atlanta's starters as the Falcons held Bijan Robinson out of the exhibition slate. The offseason acquisition capped the opening drive with a three-yard touchdown run but lost a fumble two drives later, matching Tua Tagovailoa's fumble on the possession in between. Come Week 1 against the Steelers, Brian is expected to work as Bijan's top backup in an all-Robinson 1-2 punch. |
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Kyle Pitts Sr. Kyle Pitts Sr. Productive preseason finale
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:24 PM
Pitts caught all three of his targets for 59 yards in Friday's 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins.
Analysis: Pitts has shown excellent chemistry with QB Tua Tagovailoa during the preseason, accounting for 81 of Tagovailoa's 117 passing yards across parts of two preseason games. It remains to be seen whether Tagovailoa or Michael Penix (knee) will get the starting nod under center for Week 1 against the Steelers. Either way, Pitts is poised to maintain a prominent role on the heels of his 928-yard 2025 regular season. |
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Tua Tagovailoa Tua Tagovailoa Accurate in preseason finale
Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:20 PM
Tagovailoa completed seven of eight passes for 95 yards in Friday's 17-12 preseason win over the Dolphins. He also rushed once for no gain and lost a fumble.
Analysis: Tagovailoa played the first quarter of Atlanta's preseason finale and completed all but one pass, but two of Atlanta's three possessions during that span ended in fumbles. Following an opening-drive Brian Robinson rushing touchdown, Tua fumbled on the first play of the next drive and Robinson fumbled to end Atlanta's third possession. Michael Penix (knee) has gained clearance to participate in 11-on-11 drills, but the 2024 first-round pick has yet to progress to game availability. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has yet to name a Week 1 starter between Penix and Tagovailoa, the latter of whom didn't throw a touchdown pass in two preseason outings. |
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