Falcons snap counts from the preseason loss to the Jets

Atlanta’s effort against the Jets will go down as a loss, but it’s a win in my book because we saw encouraging performances from players we wanted to see them from, and plenty of run for players hoping to make an impact. That’s really what preseason is all about.

How did the team divvy up snaps on Monday night? As is our custom, we dive in head-first to see who played for the Falcons and what it might mean.

Offense

Leroy Watson: 27

Justin Shaffer: 27

Ryan Neuzil: 27

Jonotthan Harrison: 27

Tyler Vrabel: 27

Desmond Ridder: 26

Anthony Firkser: 25

MyCole Pruitt: 25

Feleipe Franks: 24

Rick Leonard: 23

Jalen Mayfield: 23

Matt Hennessy: 23

Colby Gossett: 23

Germain Ifedi: 23

Caleb Huntley: 23

Tyler Allgeier: 22

John FitzPatrick: 22

KeeSean Johnson: 20

Jared Bernhardt: 19

Geronimo Allison: 18

Parker Hesse: 17

Frank Darby: 17

Damiere Byrd: 16

Qadree Ollison: 15

Jake Matthews: 15

Elijah Wilkinson: 15

Drew Dalman: 15

Chris Lindstrom: 15

Kaleb McGary: 15

Marcus Mariota: 15

John Raine: 14

KhaDarel Hodge: 12

Bryan Edwards: 12

Stanley Berryhill: 11

Cameron Batson: 9

Avery Williams: 8

Keith Smith: 6

Olamide Zaccheaus: 6

Damien Williams: 4

Kyle Pitts: 3

Cordarrelle Patterson: 1

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The thing that stands out here, for me, is that Auden Tate did not play at all. That neatly foreshadowed his release on Tuesday.

The rest of the receiver group received a lot of run, with Allison, Bernhardt, Byrd, and Johnson pulling quite a bit of time. Byrd played pretty well and Bernhardt continued to stand out, but Allison found himself among yesterday’s cuts. That would seem to reflect confidence in Byrd and the team’s young options, as that’s all that’s left to compete behind the top four receivers on the depth chart.

The team also gave MyCole Pruitt considerable run and an opportunity to prove himself, and he delivered and then some. Pruitt looked like one of the most capable reserve pass catchers on the field, and that bodes well for him as he tries to push his way on the field.

Once again, the offensive line playing time shook out much the same way as it did in Week 1, with the only real difference being Dalman and Hennessy swapping at center. I thought Dalman played well enough to take the battle for the starting job down to the wire, but the other four starters are very much locked in. The question is whether this team will give Shaffer, Neuzil, Vrabel, or Watson a chance to play with the second team after Leonard and Mayfield scuffled pretty badly on Monday.

Finally, Feleipe Franks is the third quarterback, but that was more of an abstract thought until Monday night, when we saw him struggle in that role in extended action. As several observers pointed out, Franks has been focusing on tight end and other jobs rather than quarterback, which could help to explain those struggles. It still would not surprise me if the Falcons scoop up a quarterback this like to stash on the practice squad, so they have a fallback option if injuries pile up at the position.

Defense

Nate Landman: 32

Troy Andersen: 32

Corey Ballentine: 31

Teez Tabor: 29

Lafayette Pitts: 29

Timothy Horne: 26

Abdullah Anderson: 25

Dorian Etheridge: 24

Dean Marlowe: 23

Mike Ford: 23

Darren Hall: 23

DeAngelo Malone: 22

Arnold Ebiketie: 22

Jordan Brailford: 22

Henry Black: 21

Matt Hankins: 21

Nick Thurman: 18

Dee Alford: 18

Quinton Bell: 16

Jalen Dalton: 16

Erik Harris: 15

Derrick Tangelo: 14

Kuony Deng: 13

Richie Grant: 13

Rashaan Evans: 13

Jaylinn Hawkins: 13

Adetokunbo Ogundeji: 11

Lorenzo Carter: 11

Darrion Daniels: 10

Ta’Quon Graham: 10

Anthony Rush: 8

A.J. Terrell: 5

Casey Hayward: 5

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You’ll note Landman once again got a ton of time, joined this time by Troy Andersen. Landman didn’t stand out in quite the same way this time but was mostly solid, while Andersen showed glimpses of tremendous progress and looked a little uneven overall. It looks like the Falcons are really considering giving Landman a shot at proving himself, and with Nick Kwiatkoski parked the past two weeks, it may not be outlandish to think Landman is going to get a shot at a roster spot.

The team clearly wants to ensure they scrutinize players who might be on the roster bubble, with plenty of time for Ballentine, Pitts, Anderson, and Horne, among others. I thought Ballentine had his moments and that Anderson (Abdullah, not Andersen, Troy) looked solid, likely ensuring they hang on until the very end, while Pitts apparently didn’t make enough of an impression to stick around. There are limited roster spots available at every level of the defense, but there’s certainly room on the practice squad, and that extended run is going to help those players make their cases.

One more quick note on a solid night for the defense until the wheels came off late: Jalen Dalton and Dee Alford have done more than enough to get roster spots, but unfortunately Dalton was waived with an injury designation. Alford is a roster lock, but somebody up front is going to have to impress and snag a spot with Dalton gone.

Special teams

DeAngelo Malone: 13

Dean Marlowe: 13

Henry Black: 13

Quinton Bell: 13

Bradley Pinion: 11

Erik Harris: 10

Arnold Ebiketie: 9

Mike Ford: 9

Dorian Etheridge: 9

Tyler Allgeier: 8

Liam McCullough: 8

Jordan Brailford: 8

Parker Hesse: 8

Teez Tabor: 8

Frank Darby: 7

Matt Hankins: 7

Lafayette Pitts: 7

Nate Landman: 7

Qadree Ollison: 6

Younghoe Koo: 6

John Raine: 6

Avery Williams: 6

Jared Benhardt: 5

Jalen Dalton: 5

Nick Thurman: 5

Geronimo Allison: 5

Timothy Horne: 5

Feleipe Franks: 5

Anthony Firkser: 4

Darren Hall: 4

Keith Smith: 4

Colby Gossett: 4

Rick Leonard: 4

Drew Dalman: 4

Cameron Batson: 4

Kuony Deng: 4

KeeSean Johnson: 3

Richie Grant: 3

Dee Alford: 3

Troy Andersen: 3

Corey Ballentine: 3

Abdullah Anderson: 3

Leroy Watson: 2

Ryan Neuzil: 2

Jalen Mayfield: 2

Stanley Berryhill: 2

Elijah Wilkinson: 2

Jake Matthews: 2

Chris Lindstrom: 2

Kaleb McGary: 2

KhaDarel Hodge: 1

Olamide Zaccheaus: 1

Derrick Tangelo: 1

Adetokunbo Ogundeji: 1

Darrion Daniels: 1

A.J. Terrell: 1

Casey Hayward: 1

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When you’re evaluating roster hopefuls, you want to see the role they play on their respective units. You also want to know, for those hoping to grab the final few spots on the roster, that they’re going to play special teams.

It’s a big deal, then, for players like Bell, Black, Marlowe, and Malone that they logged so much time. Malone and Marlowe figured to be making the roster regardless but will have to contribute significantly on special teams early on, but for Black and Bell, impressing Marquice Williams may well be the difference between a roster spot and the axe. With Bell having a quality summer overall, this has to be viewed as a positive sign for his chances.

A little later today, we’ll piggyback off of this by looking at some roster battles that matter.