Falcons roster bubble watch: Updating the fringe after Week 2

Who helped their case

WR Devin Fuller

I had relatively low expectations for Fuller coming out of the draft, given that he wasn’t an accomplished receiver in college and figured to get on the roster due to special teams prowess more than anything else. Since then, he’s been a fine returner, but he’s been very impressive as a receiver minus a couple of drops, and I can see him easily making the roster as the fifth option now.

RB Brandon Wilds

Terron Ward’s unfortunate injury has opened the door for the likes of Wilds, Gus Johnson, and recent signing Cyrus Gray, and while all of them had nice moments against the Browns, Wilds continues to be the standout. He looks good running the football and feels like a strong bet for the last spot, potentially giving the Falcons a very formidable trio of backs.

DT Joey Mbu

The Falcons brought in some interesting UDFA competition for Mbu, and they’ve since waived two of them. Mbu picked up a sack last night and should get a roster spot as a young option in his second year behind a defensive tackle rotation that thins out quickly after Jonathan Babineaux.

CB Brian Poole

Still not a standout, but Poole has been quietly competent in both games thus far, and the Falcons have virtually nothing after Akeem King (and maybe before him, depending on what you think of King). If Poole puts together another solid week against the Dolphins, I’d pencil him in pretty strongly.

QB Matt Simms

He was competing against super deep backups, but Week 2 gave us Simms’ strongest showing yet, and he looked genuinely good on a handful of throws.

Who hurt their case

K Nick Rose

Rose was the only kicker besides Matt Bryant in camp, and the Falcons’ praise of his strong leg suggested they might be at least interested in giving him an honest shot at competing with the veteran kicker. Unfortunately for Rose, he’s now missed two field goals in two weeks and has probably taking himself out of the running for the gig, however slim his shot was at first.

G Wes Schweitzer

Mixed bag for Schweitzer, a guy a lot of Falcons fans and analysts liked coming out of the draft. It’s pretty clear at this point that he won’t be competing for a starting job in 2016 (which is largely a relief), but there’s the chance that he could be passed by other options at that crowded guard spot and wind up on the practice squad. He hasn’t been bad, but a penalty and a couple of lost blocking assignments still aren’t great.

T Bryce Harris

Tom Compton looked good and mobile last night, while Harris looked like one of the lesser lights on a nice night for the offensive line. Harris still should be considered a favorite for a roster spot, but if the Falcons like Compton as a versatile swing tackle type, Harris could give way to a younger player with a little more upside.