Casey Washington of the Atlanta Falcons
Getty
Casey Washington of the Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are in good shape as we grow nearer to the 2025 regular season debut. Looking down the roster, their aren’t too many key players out with naggy preseason injuries. In fact, one could argue there’s actually too much healthy talent in the building. Final cuts are just one week away and these position battles are still “too close to call”.
Longtime Falcons writer Tori McElhaney says she has never seen the battles this close.
“I have been doing 53-man rosters for many years now. And in all my years doing so I can’t recall having a more difficult time nailing down a 53-man roster prediction,” McElhaney wrote.
One position McElhaney picked out in particular is the wide receiver room. This battle also caught the attention of ESPN’s lead Falcons writer, Marc Raimondi.
“The Falcons’ wide receiver corps is not making things easy for the coaching staff with a little more than a week until cut day,” Raimondi wrote after the Week 2 contest. “Against the Titans, David Sills V, Chris Blair and Dylan Drummond all had moments. Blair caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Easton Stick. Drummond has 12 catches in two preseason games.”
Of the three receivers Raimondi listed, he says he believes Sills may have sealed his fate after yet another impressive outing.
“Sills, who has been Kirk Cousins’ favorite target in practice, had two catches on the first series Friday and was then removed from the game, potentially indicating that the coaches have seen enough and Sills has a 53-man roster spot already,” Raimondi concludes. “Casey Washington didn’t suit up Friday, meaning he’s a lock.”
McElhaney Has Sills As A “Cut”
David Sills does not have the same “benefit of the doubt” that some of the rookies get in their roster battles. He is a 29-year-old wide receiver who has not recorded a catch in the NFL since 2022.
He has bounced around from training camp to training camp but has struggled to stick on any one roster. After just three receptions for less than 30 yards in two preseason games, Tori McElhaney doesn’t think he has done enough to earn a roster spot and puts him under the “tough cut” category.
“Sills is another candidate for placement on the 53-man roster as moves to the practice squad and injuries are taken into account,” McElhaney writes. “He’s been getting a notable amount of looks with Penix and the first-team offense throughout the last week… Sills has been one of the training camp standouts. You always like to award those guys if you can.”
Falcons Predicted To Carry Six Receivers
There aren’t any big surprises when it comes to the final roster prediction for the Falcons receiving room. Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud, and KhaDarel Hodge headline the unit as four returning producers.
McElhaney also predicts Jamal Agnew will make his return to an NFL roster in year nine of his NFL career. He suffered an injury at the end of 2023 that landed him on the sideline for all of 2024. Now he gets another go with Atlanta.
The sixth and final receiver considered to be a lock for Atlanta’s roster is Casey Washington. Washington appeared in eight games last season as a rookie sixth round draft pick. Now heading into year two, the coaching staff is hoping for a year two bump from the six-foot-even wideout.