Falcons president of football Matt Ryan isn’t quite sure what to expect from the team’s quarterbacks once the team gets to training camp this summer, but he seems to have a bit more certainty when it comes to one of the team’s offseason additions.
Wide receiver Jahan Dotson signed with the Falcons as a free agent after catching 37 passes over two seasons with the Eagles. That production continued a run of underwhelming results for Dotson since he was drafted in the first round by Washington in 2022 and the move to Atlanta wasn’t heralded as a significant move for a team that already has the likes of Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson on their offense.
During a Monday appearance on 680 The Fan, Ryan shone a light on Dotson as a player that he thinks has more to his game than he’s been able to show in his first four seasons.
“Of course, you’ve got to have these premier players,” Ryan said. “But if you’re going to be successful long-term and you’re going to be consistent year in and year out, depth is paramount. So when you add a guy like Jahan Dotson, who I’m excited about, I think there’s untapped potential with him. And some of it is just the situations he was in early on and some of the places that he was. So, excited about what he can do.”
The Falcons also signed Olamide Zaccheaus and drafted Zachariah Branch in the third round, so Dotson will have to stand out on the practice field to make Ryan’s comments look prescient come the fall.
Falcons Clips
When Matt Ryan was playing for the Falcons, the team didn’t have to answer any questions about their quarterback plans but his first year as the franchise’s president of football isn’t starting under the same circumstances.
Michael Penix’s ACL rehab creates uncertainty about when he’ll be ready to play again and Tua Tagovailoa arrived in Atlanta off of being benched by the Dolphins during the 2026 season, so the prospect of opening the season with him under center won’t fill anyone with confidence. During a Monday appearance on 680 The Fan, Ryan acknowledged that “you just don’t know where Michael’s going to be” once the Falcons get to training camp while expressing confidence in how both players have been approaching their work.
“I never went through an ACL, but there’s certain milestones that you’ve got to hit, and the closer you get, the more variability there is because the intensity and the speed picks up,” Ryan said. “Mike’s in a good spot right now. As far as expectations, we don’t really know what to expect at the beginning of training camp. But I think with the way both of those guys are working and the conversations we’ve had with both of them about — I believe quarterbacks should be the most competitive people on your team. Whether that’s first, second or third, there’s a way to go out there and compete and win the day. . . . I think the way both those guys have started the offseason will put us in a good spot.”
One wouldn’t expect pessimism from someone in Ryan’s position at this point in the calendar, but the on-field work this summer will determine whether his optimism is grounded in reality or hopefulness.
The Falcons have made another key addition to their front office.
Bryce Johnston, who previously worked for the Eagles, is the Falcons’ new Senior VP of Football Administration and Senior Personnel Executive, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Johnston’s job responsibilities will include leading salary-cap strategy and serving as lead contract negotiator. He’ll serve under President Matt Ryan and General Manager Ian Cunningham.
The news of Johnston’s hiring comes after the Falcons parted ways with Senior Director of Football Administration Chris Olsen.
After getting through the draft over the weekend, the Falcons are making a change in their front office.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Atlanta and senior director of football administration Chris Olsen have parted ways.
Olsen had been with the club since early 2021, working to negotiate player, coach, and front office contracts.
He was previously with the Texans for 13 seasons, serving as senior VP of football administration, largely serving the same duties.
With Matt Ryan now in as team president, Ian Cunningham in as General Manager, and Kevin Stefanski at head coach, the Falcons continue to reshape the structure of their team in 2026.
The Falcons are down to one punter on their 90-man roster.
The team announced that they have released Trenton Gill on Monday. They signed Jake Bailey to a three-year contract as a free agent and he’s now the lone punting option in Atlanta.
Gill signed to the Falcons’ practice squad late last season and did not appear in any games for the team.
Gill’s last regular season action came in eight games for the Buccaneers in 2024. He had a net average of 38.7 yards per kick in those appearances and an average of 38.8 net yards in 34 games for the Bears.
Naming rights have their limits.
With the World Cup coming and FIFA insistent on specific, soccer-friendly playing surfaces, it also made demands about the exterior of the various American venues in which the games will be played.
In places like Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the company that pays more than $10 million per year through 2042 will have its name and logo disappear for the next few months.
Via Front Office Sports, workers are covering the large Mercedes-Benz logo with a World Cup tarp. And the venue will be known for the duration of the tournament as Atlanta Stadium.
It’s a strange move. It’s never been known as “Atlanta Stadium.” It will be, for a few months. And then it will go back to being Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as if the change never happened.
Unfortunately for NFL players, the high-quality grass that will be implemented for the World Cup will also go back to the fake stuff. As if the change to the preferred surface never happened.
But that’s the power of FIFA. To get the matches, the proprietors of the various NFL venues had to bend over backward, in multiple ways. And they gladly did it.
The Falcons are keeping an explosive player in the Peach State.
With the No. 79 overall pick in the third round, Atlanta has selected receiver Zachariah Branch out of Georgia.
Branch spent his first two collegiate seasons at USC before transferring to Georgia in 2025. He excelled as a returner as a freshman in 2023, taking a punt 75 yards for a touchdown and a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
In 2025, he was a second-team All-SEC honoree after leading the conference in receptions. He finished the year with 81 catches for 811 yards with six TDs.
He will now join a group of offensive players that includes Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.
Avieon Terrell followed his older brother, A.J. Terrell, in every step of the way. They both played at Westlake High School in Atlanta and then at Clemson. Now, they will play together with the Falcons.
Atlanta used the 48th overall to select Avieon Terrell, who will join his brother in the team’s secondary.
A.J. Terrell has played six seasons with the Falcons.
The brothers hugged and cried at a draft party, sharing an incredible moment.
Avieon started 31 consecutive games to finish his career, and he led the Tigers in passes defended as both a sophomore and junior. He had 28 pass breakups and three interceptions in three seasons.
The first set of photos from the New York Post showing Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona was taken while Russini worked for The Athletic. The Athletic is now reviewing her reporting, after her resignation.
The latest set of photos from the New York Post was taken while she worked for ESPN. The question now becomes whether ESPN will be reviewing her reporting.
ESPN has declined comment in response to an email inquiry from PFT.
Here’s an example of reporting that could be scrutinized, regarding a situation that developed after March 2020, when the photos published earlier today were taken.
In May 2021, Russini reported that the Falcons “have discussed several offers for wide receiver Julio Jones, including an offer of a future first-round draft pick.” The report, under a headline that proclaimed “Atlanta Falcons have offer of a 1st-round pick for Julio Jones, sources say” created a clear impression that the Falcons had an offer in hand of a first-round pick for Jones.
Her report also downplayed the Titans’ chances of landing Jones, calling them a “long shot.” (At the time, Vrabel served as head coach of the Titans.)
Ultimately, the Titans acquired Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick.
So how did the reporting potentially help the Titans? Putting out the word that the Falcons had been offered a first-round pick could have had a chilling effect on any team that may have been considering offering a second-round pick. Calling the Titans a “long shot” allowed them to maneuver quietly for Jones.
Given the relationship between Vrabel and Russini, it’s not crazy or reckless to wonder whether her reporting was directly or indirectly connected to the effort to help the Titans get Jones on the best possible terms. Which, of course, will bolster suspicions by Eagles fans that she had been working more recently with Vrabel to get Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on the best possible terms.
The point for now is that the newest photos directly relate to her time at ESPN. And that specific entanglement could explain why it took so long for ESPN to pay full attention to the story. In the end, its own credibility could be undermined by the reporting Russini did while working there.
Falcons edge rusher James Pearce has agreed to enter an intervention program that will allow him to avoid a trial on multiple felony charges related to a February incident with his ex-girlfriend.
Pearce attended a hearing in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on video to agree to participate in the six-month program. A report on Thursday morning indicated that Pearce’s legal team was negotiating the deal with prosecutors. His attorney Yale Sanford told ESPN that Pearce will participate in therapy sessions during the six-month period and that he is required to stay away from his ex-girlfriend in order to have the charges dropped.
Pearce was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police, and resisting an officer with violence as well as a misdemeanor count of stalking.
The NFL said that the case remains under review for possible discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy.
