WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The early wave of free agency is done, the 2025 NFL draft is less than a month away and the Atlanta Falcons have signed eight players -- along with retaining several others -- as the player acquisition stage of the offseason rolls forward.
Atlanta's pre-draft roster is taking shape -- but several questions and vacancies still remain.
Here's an in-depth look at the Falcons' defense, led by new coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, before the start of the 2025 NFL owners meetings in West Palm Beach, Florida.
[RELATED: Falcons Offense Position-By-Position Breakdown: What Needs More Help?]
Defensive line
Projected starters: David Onyemata, Ruke Orhorhoro, Morgan Fox
Projected backups: Zach Harrison, Brandon Dorlus, Ta'Quon Graham, Kentavius Street
Others in the mix: Junior Aho, LaCale London
For the first time in a decade, the Falcons' defensive line doesn't include Grady Jarrett. Atlanta released the two-time Pro Bowler on March 10, and he agreed to sign with the Chicago Bears around five hours later.
Onyemata was a popular cap-saving cut candidate entering the offseason, and he still may be one to watch after June 1, but the Falcons chose to part ways with Jarrett first.
Now, Atlanta's defensive front is full of question marks.
The Falcons are banking on steps forward from their 2024 draftees in second-round choice Orhorhoro and fourth-rounder Dorlus, along with a jolt from free agent signing Fox, who totaled 15.5 sacks over the past three years with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Atlanta needs help on its interior and should add a legitimate pass rushing threat to the unit during the NFL draft.
Outside linebacker
Projected starters: Leonard Floyd OR Arnold Ebiketie
Projected backups: Bralen Trice, DeAngelo Malone
Others in the mix: Khalid Kareem
Floyd was the biggest addition of the Falcons' free agency haul. The 31-year-old has notched 48 sacks over the past five years, including 18.5 sacks from 2021-22, during which now-Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was his defensive coordinator on the Los Angeles Rams.
Ideally, Floyd will be a strong complementary pass rusher and not the piece Atlanta depends on. Ebiketie, who had a strong finish to the 2024 season en route to a team-high six sacks, is in a similar position.
Trice, a third-round pick in 2024, tore his ACL during the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins. Health aside, his on-field ability and professional readiness are unproven.
The Falcons still need a true bell-cow pass rusher -- for 2025 and beyond.
Inside linebacker
Projected starters: Kaden Elliss, Devine Deablo
Projected backups: Troy Andersen, J.D. Bertrand
Others in the mix: Josh Woods
Atlanta's first external signing of free agency was Deablo, a three-year starter for the Las Vegas Raiders who inked a two-year deal worth up to $14 million. He's making starter-caliber money and fills the vacancy left by Nate Landman, who signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Landman was a restricted free agent, but the Falcons didn't tender his contract, thus sending him into unrestricted free agency. In essence, Landman went west, and Deablo came east.
Andersen, a second-round pick in 2022, has provided flashes of promise during his three professional seasons, but he's played only nine games the past two years.
Both Elliss and Andersen are slated to be unrestricted free agents after 2025, and the Falcons have an out in Deablo's contract.
In short, Atlanta has a short-term solution at linebacker with plenty of questions down the line.
Cornerback
Projected starters: A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III
Projected backups: Keith Taylor, Mike Ford, Natrone Brooks
Others in the mix: Lamar Jackson
The Falcons re-signed Hughes to a three-year deal, and they added Taylor and Ford as depth pieces, but Atlanta needs to figure out its nickel corner situation.
Dee Alford, the primary starter at nickel from 2023-2024, was a restricted free agent, but the Falcons didn't tender his contract. He remains an unrestricted free agent.
All things told, Terrell and Hughes performed well on the perimeter in 2024. Alford had his share of struggles, and Atlanta evidently is looking to upgrade -- but such a player doesn't seem to be on the roster at this moment.
Safety
Projected starters: Jessie Bates III, Jordan Fuller
Projected backups: DeMarcco Hellams
Others in the mix: Benny Sapp III
Richie Grant, the team's No. 3 safety last season, signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, while starter Justin Simmons is still on the open market and appears headed toward a fresh start.
Now, Atlanta's safety room is a bit of a mixed bag.
Bates, a two-time second-team All-Pro, is one of the best safeties in the NFL and a cornerstone piece to the Falcons' defense. Fuller has started 55 of 57 professional appearances, and he had 94 tackles and three interceptions for the Rams in 2023 -- Morris's final year as defensive coordinator.
Hellams was expected to compete for playing time with Grant last season but suffered what proved to be a season-ending ankle injury. The 2023 seventh-round pick may be fighting for a roster spot this summer.
The Falcons may feel confident Fuller can be a patchwork solution who allows them to pursue other, more pressing needs in the draft, but Atlanta's long-term outlook at safety is uninspiring, as is its current depth.
Special teams
Projected starters: kicker Younghoe Koo, punter Bradley Pinion, long snapper Liam McCullough
Projected backups: kicker Lenny Krieg
Others in the mix: N/A
McCullough, who's been the Falcons' long snapper since 2022, signed a four-year contract extension before the start of free agency. He and Pinion are both firmly positioned to maintain their roles entering 2025.
The picture is less clear around Koo, who was tied for a league-high nine missed field goals when the Falcons placed him on injured reserve after Week 15. Atlanta's decision makers expressed interest in adding competition for Koo, and it did so with Krieg.
After spending the last two years in the European League of Football, the German-born Krieg starred at the 2025 NFL combine, going 14-for-14 kicking, and again at the International Player Pathway program's pro day march 26.
Koo remains in a good spot to be the Falcons' kicker, but he'll be intentionally pushed more this summer than in off-season's of the past.
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