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Atlanta Falcons Reveal Initial Depth Chart

By John Buhler

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The Atlanta Falcons revealed their initial depth chart in the week leading up to the first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Friday.

Though the pecking order on these initial depth charts will obviously change as the regular season approaches, there are certainly a few surprises that caught me off-guard.

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Perhaps the most intriguing part of Head Coach Dan Quinn’s reveal of the depth chart is how the offensive line stacks up.  As of Preseason Week 1, Quinn has Jake Matthews at Left Tackle, Mike Person at Left Guard, Joe Hawley at Center, Chris Chester at Right Guard, and Ryan Schraeder at Right Tackle.

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    • While I had no doubt that both Jake Matthews and Ryan Schraeder would start at tackle and that Joe Hawley would likely get the nod over James Stone at center, I did not expect Mike Person and Chris Chester to both get starting nods over RG Jon Asamoah.  Heading into Fall Camp I felt that Asamoah was our best offensive lineman, after a strong first season with Atlanta last year and a productive resume while with the Kansas City Chiefs.

    Maybe it has something to do with either continuity on the offensive line or some issues with Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme.  Continuity normally overrides anything else up front as the starting five need to have a strong working relationship to find collective success in both pass protection and run blocking.

    Coach Quinn has said that both James Stone and Mike Person are being cross trained to play all three interior line positions.  It seems that Quinn and new Offensive Line Coach Chris Morgan really enjoy Chris Chester’s work ethic and familiarity with the Shanahan’s ZBS scheme from their days with the Washington Redskins.

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    Expect Jon Asamoah, James Stone, and Lamar Holmes when he gets off the PUP List to challenge for starting spots heading into the 2015 NFL Season.  At this time, the only player I would say is a lock to start up front for the Atlanta Falcons is LT Jake Matthews.  No surprises there, but then again I swore that Jon Asamoah was a lock at right guard, too.  Regardless of outcome, I’m loving the competition on the offensive line as it should bring out the very best in an Atlanta Falcons unit needing serious improvement in 2015.

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    Other parts of the depth chart on offense that moved the needle for me were that TE Levine Toilolo is third behind Jacob Tamme who can catch everything and Tony Moeaki who’s a strong playmaker when healthy.  This is a make or break year for Toilolo and being passed over by two first-year Atlanta Falcons, albeit veterans, doesn’t look like Levine is making the necessary adjustments to play at this level.

    At wide receiver, I was a little shocked to see WR/KR Devin Hester ahead of rookie wideout Justin Hardy in the initial depth chart.  Heading into Preseason Week 1, the Atlanta Falcons depth at WR looks like Julio Jones, Roddy White, Leonard Hankerson, Devin Hester, then Justin Hardy.  While I do expect all five wideouts to contribute offensively in 2015, I thought Hardy would sit at either 3rd or 4th entering the Titans’ Game.  But then again this could stand as a testament to how well both Hankerson and Hester are playing, not necessarily a knock on Hardy’s development as a rookie.

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    On the defensive side of the ball, there are two aspects of this initial depth chart that surprised me.  The first is that DE Adrian Clayborn isn’t listed as a starting end.  Even though he is supposedly lighter entering camp, why is Tyson Jackson ahead of Adrian Clayborn?  If Dan Quinn is emphasizing pass rush, Clayborn has shown a proclivity to take down quarterbacks, while Jackson mostly eats up space on the outside.

    I expect Clayborn to play huge snaps for the Atlanta Falcons this fall as a major force in developing a pass rush opposite of rookie OLB Vic Beasley.  So Clayborn could potentially be seen as a pass rushing specialist at this point for the Dirty Birds.

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    Lastly at safety, it seems that Ricardo Allen is commanding the starting free safety spot.  His primary challengers of Kemal Ishmael and Charles Godfrey seem that they are SS William Moore‘s backups entering Preseason Week 1 instead of challenging for free safety.  This has to do with the scheme that Defensive Passing Coordinator Raheem Morris wants to install.  Essentially Allen would play like a fourth corner but with more of an emphasis on ballhawking and tackling at free safety.

    I liked Allen during last fall’s camp and I’m happy that he is may not only get playing time but to possibly thrive in a couple of seasons at free safety.  Of course this depth chart will change, probably after the first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans Friday night at the Georgia Dome.  I’m eager to see what clicks and what doesn’t when the Titans come to town on Friday.  Either these moves work or expect a great deal of re-evaluation entering next week.  Rise Up!

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