Happy Friday, Falcons Fans!
Is there any better Friday than the one that sits at the start of the NFL season? The future is still filled with possibilities, but it is suddenly immediate in the most exciting way.
The action kicked off last night, and Atlanta will begin its fall by welcoming in the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET start. It's been an incredibly busy offseason, one we've parsed through from every possible angle, and now it's time to see the first fruits of the Falcons' labors.
Not a ton of questions about the game this week, but that's totally understandable given this is the first mailbag back. Ultimately, though, y'all are a huge part of the fun of this particular piece that we all love. The better the questions, the better The Mailbox.
Let's get to it.
David H. from Marshalltown, Iowa
With Taylor Heinicke traded to the chargers, Justin Simmons coming on board along with Matthew Judon, it's been a flurry of roster moves. Financially, where has the dust settled on our salary cap?
Will: Hey David, thanks for writing in and great question. You're right, there's been a lot of action recently and it's a good time to see how the dust has settled. According to Spotrac, the team currently has just over $7 million in cap space, which ranks 23rd in the league.
That number was bolstered by the team's reported restructuring of Jessie Bates' contract this week. Per Spotrac, Atlanta converted $11.25 million of his 2024 salary into a signing bonus, which is prorated out for the remaining three years of his deal. The move cleared $7.5 million in cap space. This is the second time this offseason the Falcons have restructured a player's contract; they did so with Chris Lindstrom in August.
As things stand now, the team likely has enough to make a move or two during the season if they have to. But, as we've learned these last few weeks, general manager Terry Fontenot can find ways to make things work should the need arise.
David A. from Rincon, Ga.
I was wondering, are the Falcons going to give Tyler Allgeier even playing time with Bijan Robinson. Tyler has been a beast, too. I feel they will be killer working them in and out together. So how will they be used?
Will: I'm in total agreement with you, David, Tyler Allgeier is a beast. Since he entered the league in 2022, Allgeier ranks 15th among running backs with 1,718 rushing yards. And, according to TruMedia, he ranks fifth with 3.64 yards after contact per rush attempt in that time. Oh, and he also hasn't fumbled once since joining the NFL.
All of those provide incentives for the Falcons to get him on the field, because Allgeier has proven he can gain tough yards while protecting the football. However, Bijan Robinson's talent is special, and the Falcons should want the ball in his hands as often as possible. He was a top 10 pick for a reason.
There's one more aspect of this we need to look at. Atlanta's new offensive coordinator comes from a Rams organization that has been pretty reliant on a single back over the last few years. In 2023, Kyren Williams dominated the backfield touches. He had 228 attempts last year, while the next-closest player had 77. In 2022, Cam Akers led the way with 188 carries and the next player had just 70. Compare that with the Falcons' split last year — 214 carries for Robinson and 186 carries for Allgeier — and it's clear how different the usage philosophies were.
That doesn't mean we won't see a healthy amount of Allgeier. In fact, I expect to see a lot of him this fall. But, I would be surprised if Allgeier gets more touches than Robinson, barring injury.
Mike H. from Kennesaw, Ga.
I'm curious about why the Falcons haven't added a third quarterback to either the practice squad or the 53 man roster, and why they haven't replaced Heinicke on the roster. Do they have to wait until the season starts to add someone from another team's practice squad? Did another team sign John Paddock?
Happy to answer this one for you, Mike! The Falcons actually did add a third quarterback on Tuesday, but it may have gotten lost in all the Week 1 excitement.
Nathan Peterman is now a member of the Falcons' practice squad and the third quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. As of now, Peterman is on the practice squad, and he'd need to be on the team's 53-man roster to serve as Atlanta's emergency third quarterback. It's not out of the question that Peterman gets elevated at some point, but that would be a very quick turnaround for a player who wasn't here for training camp or the preseason. Raheem Morris's recent comments on the move are at least worth considering in that light, though.
"Nate Peterman is a veteran, has been around a little bit and done a bunch of things, so get him in here and get him prepped up and ready to go," the Falcons head coach said.
A couple quick answers to your other questions. You're right, as of Friday morning, the team remains at 52 players on the 53-man roster. However, that means if Atlanta chooses to elevate a player from the practice squad for Sunday's game, it wouldn't need to make a corresponding move. I'm not saying that's the reason, but it is one possible scenario. Once practice squads are established after roster cutdowns, a team is free to sign them away, but they must be added to the new team's 53-man roster.
Will S. from Summerville, Ga.
Hi, Tori, finally! I'm pumped Y'all are bringing the Mailbag back. I know why Raheem kept the starters out of the preseason but I always worry that the lack of real-game reps can cause more problems than the injury risk is worth. Especially with a brand new QB. Even if it was just a few quarters, I'd like to see all the ones together against another team. What are your thoughts? Thank You.
Hey Will, we are pumped to have it up and rolling again! It's something we talked a lot about through training camp, but we felt Week 1 would be the right time to bring it back. Have no fear, though! It's with you all the way. And I know this question was technically directed to Tori, but it gives me the perfect chance to offer this reminder:
We will be bringing you the mailbag twice a week during the season. Tori will be answering mailbag questions on Tuesday, and I will be answering questions on Friday. We also want to leave open the possibility of answering the same question in separate mailbags if we both feel strongly about the topic posed. I chose this question to end on today, because I have a feeling it might be a good one for Tori to take a crack at on Tuesday after having watched Sunday's game.
Historically, I've been a bigger proponent of getting guys out there on the field to build chemistry and shake off the rust. But my thinking has shifted in recent years, because of the year-round nature of today's current NFL. These guys come to camp already in shape and ready to play. There's really no more playing yourself into shape anymore. It's fair to say the chemistry part is important, especially for a team with a new quarterback and two new coordinators. No argument from me there, and it's why I'm curious for Tori's take after we see what Sunday looks like.
But this year's training camp was designed differently than any I've previously experienced, and it's why I ultimately feel the Falcons will be ready to go. There was a lot of full-team work in practice. These players have had a lot of 11-on-11 reps, and they've handled a pretty big mental load as well. And then there were the joint practice sessions and various team scrimmages, which are valuable for preparation.
Personally, I look at the importance of Atlanta's stretch from Weeks 4-10 and believe the team was right to prioritize team health entering the year over a couple of series in preseason games. But I understand the other side.
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Thank you all for reading today, and I hope you enjoy Sunday's game. A quick programming note concerning the next few mailbags. I will be taking some pre-planned time off over the next two weeks, so Tori will be handling The Mailbox in my absence. See y'all when I get back!
If you would like to submit a question for a future edition of The Mailbox, you can do so here.
