Atlanta

Falcons

The details of the contract were not made readily available, although the signing appears to be a depth move at the position after the team signed both Brian Robinson and Tyler Goodson this offseason. The depth behind starter Bijan Robinson remains a work in progress for the Falcons, meaning Sermon could carve out a spot on the 53-man roster during the remainder of camp and the preseason.

After missing the early part of training camp, Tua Tagovailoa has been back practicing with the team and reportedly turned in a solid session on Sunday, which was cut short by lightning. Michael Penix, who is still waiting to be fully cleared to return from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign. The third-year signal-caller has been practicing in a limited capacity and said in late July that it might be “another four weeks” before he moves on to the next stage in his recovery. Regardless of what Stefanski says about naming his Week 1 QB, until Penix is officially cleared for full football activities, Tagovailoa feels like a safe bet to open the year as the starter.

According to Kendall, “everyone in Atlanta can see” Branch’s ascension. The diminutive rookie has been “a standout in Atlanta from the moment he stepped on the practice field.” Zaccheaus is still taking most of the first-team snaps, so Branch may have to continue fighting for the starting role in-season. That said, the coaching staff plans to line up Branch at all three wide receiver spots. Obvious questions remain regarding Branch’s ability to play in the NFL at 5'10/180, but the youngster bench-pressed 225 pounds 20 times at the NFL Combine, so his strength is not in question. Even if Branch assumes a starting role, it will probably be tough for Branch to reliably return FLEX value, earning targets behind WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts and RB Bijan Robinson, but showing up with a few big performances is possible.

The Falcons selected Andersen with the 58th overall pick in 2022, but the veteran linebacker has appeared in just 26 games since entering the league. Injuries have plagued Andersen for much of his career; a shoulder/pec injury ended his 2023 campaign in Week 3, and a knee injury he suffered in 2024 limited him to seven games that season and sidelined him for all of last year. As a rookie, Andersen totaled 69 tackles and three TFLs. He is now free to sign with any team as he looks to get his career back on track.

The second-year linebacker will be sidelined for the entirety of the 2026 campaign after suffering an ACL tear in training camp this week. Walker was carted off the practice field and later diagnosed with the torn ACL. The 15th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Walker last year had 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. His absence will be a blow to an otherwise solid Atlanta defense.

This has been sort of the working assumption for a while as Tagovailoa is taking first-team reps while Michael Penix hasn’t been cleared for full-contact work yet. Tagovalioa remained limited with a back injury today in camp, but obviously if there’s no healthy Penix, there can be no competition.

Walker will have an MRI to confirm, but this is a brutal runout for a Falcons pass rusher unit that already had plenty of question marks. The second-year player was carted off after suffering the injury earlier today.

It’s too early to know for sure, of course, but the scene around the injury was not good. He was carted off with his face in his palm, his teammates were all taking knees around him, and the coaching staff concluded the practice after the play. It certainly has all the things you’d associate with a long-term injury.

Fowler settles on Pitts being a “certified first or second option in the passing game.” Pitts sets up as a potential high-end TE1 on an offense that loves to use the tight end, and the fact that he finished second in fantasy points among TEs last year is proof of concept that he was already playing better in 2025. With his contract taken care of, perhaps this will be the year Pitts ascends to the top of the tier, the writer said forgetting any of the last five years had happened.

The deal includes a whopping $51 million in guarantees. Robinson becomes the highest-paid running back in NFL history, surpassing Saquon Barkely. Under the new deal, Robinson, 24, will make $22.25 million per year, according to ESPN. This ends Robinson’s brief hold-in at Falcons training camp. Robinson over his first three NFL seasons has totaled 5,648 yards and 34 touchdowns as the centerpiece of the Atlanta offense. That won’t change under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who has talked up Robinson’s pass-catching ability this offseason. Robinson should be among the first two picks in every fantasy format this summer.