With 2025 NFL training camps set to open, it's time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Michael Baca has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the NFC South.
Catch up on the Atlanta Falcons' offseason developments and 2025 outlook below.
Training Camp Dates/Information
- Players report: July 23 (rookie & veterans)
- Location: IBM Performance Field | Flowery Branch, Georgia (fan information)
Notable Roster Changes
| 2025 draft class | Selection |
|---|---|
| Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia | Round 1 (No. 15 overall) |
| James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee | Round 1 (No. 26) |
| S Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame | Round 3 (No. 96) |
| Billy Bowman Jr., S, Oklahoma | Round 4 (No. 118) |
| Jack Nelson, OT, Wisconsin | Round 7 (No. 218) |
Preseason Schedule
- Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions | 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 8
- Week 2: vs. Tennessee Titans | 7 p.m. ET (NFL Network) on Friday, Aug. 15
- Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys | 8 p.m. ET (NFL Network) on Friday, Aug. 22
2025 Schedule Note
- For the second consecutive season, the Falcons will open the campaign with four of their first five games against teams that made the playoffs the year before.
-- NFL Research
What You Need to Know
1) Following a dramatic and underwhelming season at quarterback, which saw Kirk Cousins lose his job to Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons will put their best foot forward in order to achieve harmony under center. Penix, this season's unquestioned starting QB, looks to finely tune his role after showing flashes along his three starts as a rookie entering his second training camp. The strong-armed lefty now has ample time to establish a rapport with a pass-catching corps that remains largely unchanged and to grow into his role as the offense's leading voice over the summer. Cousins, meanwhile, appears to have accepted his fate as a backup at this juncture, making for what could be a peculiar scene if the high-priced QB sees plenty of action in the preseason. Moreover, if Cousins, 36, looks improved another year removed from a torn Achilles, could other teams reignite a trade discussion?
2) Atlanta's mission to improve its pass rush continued with a splashy first round in April's draft, selecting Jalon Walker at No. 15 overall before trading back into Round 1 to take James Pearce Jr. 10 picks later. Walker, a product of Georgia and last year's Butkus Award winner, was seen as one of top pass-rushing prospects, but Pearce's selection -- one achieved by trading away next year's first-round pick -- was one of the more surprising developments of the 2025 NFL Draft. Walker and Pearce's progression throughout training camp and in the preseason ought to be keenly observed considering the heavy investment. The Falcons, who hired Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator, also signed Leonard Floyd this offseason as part of revamping a pass rush that finished 31st in the league in sacks (31) last season.
3) Training camp and preseason is where kicking competitions thrive, and there's a compelling one brewing in Atlanta. Following Younghoe Koo's down season, the Falcons signed German-born kicker Lenny Krieg to a three-year deal that includes a signing bonus and a base-salary guarantee. That kind of contract doesn't come often in the international market, but it came after Krieg impressed at the International Player Pathway program's pro day. Koo, who's held the job the past six seasons, generated a career-low 73.5 field goal percentage and his struggles cost the Falcons a game down the stretch with three missed kicks in a three-point loss. Koo and Krieg's battle over the next two months could provide the scintillating moments we look for as we prepare for the oncoming season.
