Behold the 2017 Atlanta Falcons 53 man roster in all its glory

The Atlanta Falcons have made it to a 53 man roster at last. While it’s far from final—the team will surely add talent from other teams and cut a couple of players along the way—it’s a good glimpse at the squad we’ll be watching for the season ahead. We’re excited the offseason is finally, finally over.

You just care about the roster, though, and we’re happy to deliver. We’ve broken down the roster by its constituent parts below. Read up and share your thoughts!

OFFENSE - 25

QB - 2

QB Matt Ryan
QB Matt Schaub

No surprises. Ryan is the reigning NFL MVP, and the Falcons like Schaub’s steady veteran leadership and so forth.

RB - 4

RB Devonta Freeman
RB Tevin Coleman
RB Terron Ward
RB Brian Hill

The addition of Brian Hill is slightly surprising, though retaining a fifth round pick is not entirely shocking. Ward should definitely be ahead on the depth chart, however.

FB - 1

FB Derrick Coleman

Coleman won this job more or less by default.

WR - 6

WR Julio Jones
WR Mohamed Sanu
WR Taylor Gabriel
WR Justin Hardy
WR Andre Roberts
WR Nick Williams

A slight surprise here, as neither Reggie Davis or Marvin Hall make the 53-man roster. Nick Williams is a known commodity, though, and likely wins due to his experience on the team. Don’t be surprised if both Hall and Davis get a shot on the practice squad.

TE - 3

TE Austin Hooper
TE Levine Toilolo
TE Eric Saubert

Saubert didn’t have a great preseason, but the fifth round pick gets a flyer for now. The coaching staff is obviously hoping he develops over the course of the season, but beating out guys like Tialavea and Perkins is a little surprising.

OL - 9

LT Jake Matthews
LG Andy Levitre
C Alex Mack
RG Wes Schweitzer
RT Ryan Schraeder

T Austin Pasztor
G/C Ben Garland
T Ty Sambrailo
G Sean Harlow

No major surprises here, as the Falcons keep the guys they traded for and drafted. The only question is who will start at RG for game 1.

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DEFENSE - 25

EDGE - 3

EDGE Vic Beasley
EDGE Takkarist McKinley
EDGE Brooks Reed

Reed isn’t anyone’s favorite player, but he’s a solid rotational end who can rush the passer and is solid against the run. Beasley and McKinley could become one of the NFC’s deadliest pass rushing duos sooner rather than later.

DE/DT - 5

DE/DT Adrian Clayborn
DE/DT Jack Crawford
DE/DT Derrick Shelby
DE/DT Courtney Upshaw

Odom has been stellar, and if there’s any justice and any room on this roster, he’ll find his way on it. J’Terius Jones will be a tough cut, but he should make it to the practice squad. Otherwise, this is a strong inside/outside group that gives the Falcons a ton of options up front. Upshaw and Crawford have looked great this summer.

DT - 2

DT Grady Jarrett
DT Dontari Poe

No surprises here. Jarrett and Poe should be dominant. Jack Crawford has flashed as a nickel DT. The absence of Ra’Shede Hageman will be addressed separately, in all likelihood, with an addition in the coming days.

LB - 5

LB Deion Jones
LB Duke Riley
LB De’Vondre Campbell
LB Jermaine Grace
LB LaRoy Reynolds

This is a fast group of linebackers. Though Reynolds is currently injured, he should be ok by the time the regular season arrives (hopefully). Jermaine Grace is a player we had identified early in camp and it’s nice to see the UDFA nab a spot on the roster. We’ll hope he can stay.

CB - 6

CB Desmond Trufant
CB Robert Alford
CB Brian Poole
CB C.J. Goodwin
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
CB Deji Olatoye

Jarnor Jones and Akeem King had bad nights, which more or less paves the road for Goodwin and Wreh-Wilson, who looked quite good and fulfills his destiny as the Charles Godfrey Memorial Veteran who the team just won’t get rid of. Aside from the offensive line, this is the position group where the Falcons seem likeliest to add a veteran player, because they’ll be without Jalen Collins for ten games and Goodwin and Wreh-Wilson are solid but not stellar players. This group could still change before game 1.

SS - 3

SS Keanu Neal
SS Sharrod Neasman
SS/LB Kemal Ishmael

Neal is great, Neasman is a talented player who can grow into a nice backup. Easy choices. Ishmael is a steady veteran who can tackle well and is a dependable fill-in if injuries arise.

FS - 2

FS Ricardo Allen
FS Damontae Kazee

Kazee looked like he might be immediate competition for Allen, but he’ll wait until 2018 to get his turn unless injury hits. Allen easily held on to his job, and Kazee is the obvious choice as a backup.

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SPECIAL TEAMS - 3

K Matt Bryant
P Matt Bosher
LS Josh Harris

Mike Meyer looked good this summer, but he was never going to beat out a healthy Matt Bryant. This is a terrific group, as you’d expect, and Andre Roberts is the easy choice as the team’s returner.

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Overall, this roster is pretty loaded with talent, youth, and solid reserves across the board. The Falcons don’t have a lot of dedicated defensive tackles and still are a bit shaky at cornerback, so they could easily address both of those positions before their first game against the Bears. Aside from the huge surprise of the looming Ra’Shede Hageman suspension, though, there were few true surprises here, and the roster is strong as hell.

Consider us optimistic for the 2017 Falcons season.