The Atlanta Falcons just dropped their initial 53-man roster for 2026, and while it’s their news, there’s a definite Seattle sting in there: Outside linebacker Jared Ivey was awarded on waivers from our very own Seahawks. Yeah, you heard that right, one of our guys is headed to Atlanta, and what the Falcons did with the rest of their squad is making some waves.
The Falcons’ Roster Shocker: What’s Going On Down South?
It’s been a long eight months for the Falcons, who are rolling with a brand-new coaching staff, a fresh front office, and Matt Ryan in the “football overlord” chair. They brought in a ton of new blood through free agency, the draft, and undrafted signings, so you knew these roster cuts were gonna be wild. And boy, were they ever. The word from Atlanta is this was an “interesting and impactful cutdown process,” and that tracks with some of the surprising choices they made. They kept a whole lot of offensive linemen and defensive backs, which you gotta respect for depth. But then you look closer and it gets a little eyebrow-raising, you know? They only kept two running backs. Two! That’s a surprisingly skimpy number for the grind of an NFL season. Plus, they rolled with only three tight ends and a “surprisingly skimpy” number of outside linebackers. Seems like they’re putting all their eggs in certain baskets.
Four Quarterbacks and One Less Seahawk
Digging into the details, the Falcons are seriously committing to the quarterback position, keeping a full four signal-callers on the initial roster: Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush, and Jack Strand. That’s a lot of reps to go around in practice, that’s for sure. On the defensive side, it’s pretty clear they wanted to bolster that D-line, with guys like Brandon Dorlus, Gervon Dexter, and Maason Smith making the cut. But it’s the linebacker spot that really hits home for us. Jared Ivey, an outside linebacker we just saw in Seahawks colors, is now officially a Falcon after being claimed off waivers. What does that mean for our defense going forward? It’s a question we’ll definitely be watching. The Falcons also claimed Cameron Williams from the Eagles and Yasir Abdullah from the Jaguars off waivers, showing they’re not afraid to scoop up talent from other teams.
This roster, as always, is just the initial lineup. It’s gonna change plenty in the days and weeks ahead as the season kicks off. For the Falcons, this is their foundation, sink or swim. For us in the Emerald City, it’s a reminder that roster moves are constant, and sometimes you gotta say goodbye to a guy like Ivey. We’ll be watching how this Atlanta squad performs, and you can bet we’ll be paying extra attention to how that outside linebacker group holds up without our guy.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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