SE Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — No two initial 53-man rosters in the NFL are identical, not even at the basic level of position breakdowns.

The Atlanta Falcons have a unique roster composition with three quarterbacks, four running backs, five wide receivers, three tight ends, nine offensive linemen, nine defensive linemen, eight linebackers, nine defensive backs, one kicker, one punter, and one long snapper.

Before delving into specifics, it is important to note that all team numbers were gathered by hand on Tuesday after the 4 p.m. ET deadline and have not been updated since. This provides a snapshot rather than an ongoing reflection of team numbers. Additionally, teams group positions differently, particularly on defense. To simplify matters:

- Only general titles were considered. Safeties and cornerbacks were categorized as defensive backs; inside and outside linebackers as linebackers; and defensive ends and tackles as defensive linemen.

- Teams label player positions based on their base defensive schemes. A 3-4 team may distinguish between outside and inside linebackers but lump all defensive linemen together, whereas a 4-3 defense may define defensive tackle and end but list a single linebacker group.

- Players listed as EDGE were further reviewed and categorized as either linebackers or defensive linemen.

Highlights from the league-wide table include:

— Thirteen teams kept at least three quarterbacks on their initial rosters. This is consistent with 2023 when the emergency third quarterback rule was implemented. The Falcons kept three in 2023 compared to two in 2022.

The emergency quarterback rule allows teams to dress a third quarterback from the 53-man roster on game day without counting towards the active list of 48 players. The emergency quarterback can only play if both starter and backup are injured or disqualified.

— The Cleveland Browns kept four quarterbacks but only two running backs on their initial roster.

— The Miami Dolphins did not keep a long snapper, making them the only team with just two designated special teams players on their initial roster. That extra spot went to defense. Notably, the Dolphins had only four wide receivers initially.

— The Philadelphia Eagles kept an NFL-high of 28 defensive players while having an NFL-low of 22 offensive players. The Falcons had 26 offensive and 24 defensive players.

— Both the Lions and Tennessee Titans had only 52 players on their initial rosters.

When considering initial rosters for comparison over time within the Falcons organization under different leadership such as general manager Terry Fontenot since 2021 and head coach Raheem Morris this year: comparing directly to previous years becomes complex due to changes in schemes requiring different compositions.

All data reflects Tuesday's initial rosters which may change soon after unveiling them indicating these numbers might vary by Wednesday itself.

The initial roster marks merely one step toward starting the season amidst many adjustments expected ahead.