Atlanta Falcons cut down roster to get ready for opener

FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Atlanta Falcons whittled their roster to 52 players Saturday, one fewer than the NFL requires. Now that the roster has been finalized -- the team still has one free-agent addition to make soon -- Atlanta can put the preseason behind itself and focus on Sept. 14 and hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener.

“These were very difficult decisions, and I cannot thank all the guys enough for their effort during this process,” first-year head coach Dan Quinn said. “I was impressed by the approach all offseason, camp and the preseason. I like the group we have put together after a very competitive camp, and I am looking forward to us hitting the field this week to prepare for Week 1.”

In the midst of all the transactions Atlanta made following its 20-19 win on Thursday over Baltimore, the Falcons decided to go with just two quarterbacks on their final roster. Matt Ryan and Sean Renfree outplayed T.J. Yates and Rex Grossman to earn spots, although the 2015 plan remains for Ryan to take every snap. The team could fill its final spot on the 53-man roster with another quarterback.

With the multitude of troubles along the offensive line as the offense made the transition to a zone blocking scheme, the Falcons traded a sixth-round pick in 2016 to the Tennessee Titans for veteran offensive guard Andy Levitre. Atlanta kept eight offensive linemen as part of its package of 52, and along with readiness, depth could be an issue for the unit this season.

“We have had a very busy weekend following Thursday’s game,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “We started by acquiring veteran left guard Andy Levitre from the Tennessee Titans. Both Coach Quinn and I have been very open about always looking for ways to improve our roster, and we felt this move did exactly that. Andy is a proven player in this league, and we feel like he will be a good fit for our offensive line.”

Two surprises popped up as the Falcons announced their regular-season roster. The team kept seven wide receivers (one more than expected and that has been the norm in recent years), while running back, and fan favorite, Antone Smith reached an injury settlement with the team and won’t play a role in 2016.

Smith’s big-play ability will be missed, but the Falcons should be fine with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman getting the majority of the rushing opportunities this season. Terron Ward was one of eight undrafted rookie running backs around the NFL, according to draft analyst Mike Loyko, to land on a final roster.

There wasn’t much room for Nick Williams on the depth chart for what Quinn called the deepest position on the roster, but Williams played so well that the Falcons had to keep him as the team’s seventh receiver. He made catch after catch in camp and was exceptional in preseason action.

Atlanta’s much-improved defense -- at least through four preseason games -- was left intact for the most part. Linebackers Stansly Maponga and Tyler Starr, who were on pace to play backup roles but were released, along with hard-charging Joey Mbu, who really impressed the coaching staff early in camp.

Rookie pass-rusher Vic Beasley and Adrian Clayborn on one side of the defensive line have set themselves up to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Preseason action showed that the two play superbly together and could continue to gel when both receive full-time snap counts during the season.

The rest of the big role players along the Falcons’ front -- Jonathan Babinueax, Ra’Shede Hageman and Grady Jarrett -- could help anchor one of the most improved units in the NFL in 2015.

A few things to remember about Philadelphia:

1. With names like DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, the Eagles have one of the deepest -- and most diverse -- running back corps in the NFL. Philadelphia will be a huge test for the new and improved Falcons’ front seven. Another evaluation will come in regard to Atlanta’s conditioning. No team in the NFL last season ran more offensive plays per game that the Eagles.

2. There might not be a better defensive front seven in football than Philadelphia’s. The Eagles’ depth chart isn’t filled with star power up front, and the Eagles’ first two layers of defense won’t bring the same kind of pressure that Miami’s did in the third preseason game. Cedric Thornton haunts running backs, and Kiko Alonso, if healthy, remains one of the top young linebackers in the league. DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham round out a unit that could give Atlanta’s running game fits.

3. SEC fans always have turned out to Falcons games at the Georgia Dome in droves. But those extra numbers that have forever followed Tim Tebow need not trek to the game. Tebow was released during the weekend, and we’ll have to wait and see if he ever gets another shot at NFL stardom.

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Atlanta Falcons cut down roster to get ready for opener ."