Atlanta

Falcons

Sanchez was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award last year, which is given to college football’s top kicker. He recently had an hour-long phone call with the Eagles and also met with them privately after Houston’s Pro Day. Sanchez is scheduled to attend the Falcons’ local day as well. He spent his first three college seasons kicking for Old Dominion and spent his fourth and final college season at Houston. He converted 20-of-25 field goals during the regular season and 38-of-38 extra point attempts. He could be K1-viable as a rookie via any one of these four potential landing spots.

Scott arrives after five seasons with the Eagles front office. He started as a senior pro scout before elevating to director of football operations and vice president of football operations during his tenure with Philadelphia, reaching the Super Bowl twice and winning a title in 2024. New Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham hires him after briefly working together with the Eagles in 2021. The Falcons notably have president of football operations Matt Ryan as their “primary decision-maker”, leading to the Bears not receiving third-round comp picks via the Rooney Rule for Cunningham heading to Atlanta. However, with the hire of Scott as the assistant to Cunningham in the Falcons’ leadership hierarchy, the Bears are in communication with the NFL to get those compensatory picks with the argument that Cunningham is the primary football executive in the Falcons front office.

He’ll continue his special teams journey in Atlanta, assuming he makes the final roster.

McGary was lost for the season in a late August practice with what the team never elaborated on but we suspect was either an ACL tear or broken leg based on the time missed. McGary will be 11 months clear of the injury by training camp, so this isn’t a surprising update, but it’s good news that McGary is trending towards a return.

This was briefly mentioned as a possibility by Jonathan Jones ahead of free agency, but it doesn’t seem like anything has actually developed here. Cunningham added that he’s “excited to have Kyle” and “excited for his future.” Reading between the lines, it sounds like Cunningham would consider moving on from the talented 25-year-old if someone bowled them over with a package. But it also doesn’t sound like that package is incoming, or that we should expect it to come soon.

Pearce was charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor for his role in a car chase with ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson. Pearce’s felony charges were aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence to his or her person. Stefanski said “we’re working through it” and Cunningham said it was an “ongoing legal matter” while adding he’s “not gonna touch on that right now.” Pearce’s status with the team continues to be up in the air.

London said the team remains focused on free agency and adds that an extension for London, along with RB Bijan Robinson, may not receive more focus until after the draft. London is in the final year of his rookie contract and caught 68 passes for 919 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The former No. 8 overall pick has one 1,000-yard season on his resumé and has dealt with a mixed bag at quarterback since entering the league in 2022. This is the second time this offseason that Cunningham has mentioned extending London, so we would expect a deal to get done sooner than later.

Given the nature of Penix’s injury, its timing (Week 11), and his lengthy history of significant lower-body injuries, the decision not to rush him back is probably a good one. Stefanski, who is now with his second team and still in search of an answer at quarterback at either of his stops, went out and added Tua Tagovailoa to his quarterback room this offseason. Tagovailoa figures to have the inside edge on being named the Week 1 starter due to Penix’s injury, but barring a spectacular development in which Tagovailoa cements himself as the unquestioned QB1 on the team, we would still expect to see Penix on the field at some point in 2026 when healthy. Penix is only four months removed from his surgery for a torn ACL, which can take anywhere from six to 12 months to come back from. He could be a candidate to open camp on the PUP list depending on how the next few months go.

The Falcons’ 2026 training camp dates have not yet been released. Last year’s training camp began on July 24th to August 13th. Wolfe somewhat casually broke the news while discussing the Falcons’ impending quarterback competition between Penix and QB Tua Tagovailoa. Penix underwent surgery to reconstruct a partially torn ACL after suffering the injury in November 2025. Tagovailoa will get to work with the first-team offense until Penix is ready to practice, which could give Tagovailoa an edge in the competition. It seems likely that both players will start at times during the regular season, perhaps warranting QB2 consideration.

Goodson was slated to be a restricted free agent, but the Colts balked. He’s a decent third-down back, but behind Bijan Robinson he figures to offer little fantasy value in his age-26 season. At least his last name isn’t also “Robinson,” unlike some backups in this backfield.