Atlanta banking on Bates-Watts tandem to spark more takeaways in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Falcons believe they have one of the NFL's premier safety tandems, and veteran linebacker Divine Deablo isn't shy about saying it.
Speaking during training camp, Deablo praised the pairing of Jessie Bates III and rising star Xavier Watts, calling them the best safety duo in football. It's a bold statement, but one the Falcons hope will prove true as they enter the 2026 season with one of the league's most talented defenses.
Bates has already established himself as one of the NFL's elite defensive backs. Since arriving in Atlanta, he has consistently been the leader of the secondary, combining outstanding instincts with the ability to create game-changing turnovers.
The excitement, however, continues to grow around Watts.

#atlanta #deablo #preferred #divine

The Atlanta Falcons have a few big question marks on defense as they prepare for their preseason opener next week. With linebacker Jalon Walker officially out for the season due to a torn ACL, and James Pearce Jr. facing a possible suspension, Atlanta's pass rush may have trouble replicating last year's success.
The team has gone through its first seven training camp practices, but there are a few other starting spots on defense that remain unsettled. Billy Bowman Jr. is on the active PUP list as he works his way back from an Achilles injury, while Zach Harrison is on the active non-football injury list.
The Falcons are still working out their nickel rotation, and considering the severity of Bowman's injury, I could see the team being cautious with their projected starter going into Week 1. Even though I believe rookie Avieon Terrell will ultimately play on the outside, it wouldn't surprise me if he fills in for Bowman to start the season.
Harrison is not dealing with as severe of an injury, and I think he could be cleared by Week 1. At linebacker, Divine Deablo is set to wear the green dot, but there's still some uncertainty at the other starting spot.
Christian Harris appears to be the first in line, but don't sleep on rookies Kendal Daniels or Harold Perkins for this spot. With all of that said, here's a look at our projected Week 1 starting lineup for the Falcons defense.

#injury #starting

The Atlanta Falcons are taking training camp to another level this week. On Monday, the players put on pads for the first time and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took a step in the right direction as he recovers from a minor back injury.
Even though the team is easing Tagovailoa back into the mix, he made progress by competing in 11-on-11s to begin the week. Michael Penix Jr. remains limited to 7-on-7 drills, but he clearly isn't taking the competition lightly in the meantime.
The former Washington Huskies QB made a perfect throw for a long touchdown to rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who ****** ody seems to have an answer for. Meanwhile, rookie Jack Strand is making the most of his QB1 reps and earning the respect of his teammates along the way.
The Falcons have been rotating players at a few key positions on defense, including the nickel and inside linebacker spots. It will be interesting to see who ultimately starts next to Divine Deablo, but Christian Harris seems like the most likely candidate for Jeff Ulbrich's base defense at the moment.
Watch highlights from Monday's padded practice, as shared by the Falcons' YouTube channel - along with some additional clips that we've rounded from social media below.

#taking #back

The Atlanta Falcons were somewhat careless with their money during the last few seasons under former general manager Terry Fontenot. While fans will likely never get over the team giving Kirk Cousins $100 million before drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. one month later, Fontenot had some free-agent hits as well.
The Falcons signed star safety Jessie Bates III, who has been stellar over three seasons in Atlanta. Those around the league scoffed after the team signed Divine Deablo last year, but the veteran linebacker was among the best defensive players on the roster.
Cornerback Mike Hughes has been solid and Darnell Mooney looked like a steal after his first season with the team. However, current Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham was hamstrung by the mistakes Fontenot made, and could only sign bargain-level free agents in the offseason.
Cunningham has done a good job of retaining talent, though. He extended both Drake London and Kyle Pitts, which brought Atlanta's salary cap ******* e up to $37.9 million.
After looking at the Falcons' top-paid offensive players yesterday, here's a look at the team's 10 highest-paid defensive players based of their 2026 salary cap hits (all numbers via Over The Cap).

The Atlanta Falcons have a few big question marks entering the 2026 NFL season, but their roster isn't short on talent. In terms of skill position players, it doesn't get much better than the trio of running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.
The three former top-10 picks have accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time. Defensively, the Falcons have some heavy hitters as well. James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts were Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists last season, while defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus broke out with 8.5 sacks.
Savvy veterans like Divine Deablo, A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates round out a rapidly improving defense. The biggest question mark is at quarterback, and unfortunately for Atlanta, that's a pretty important position in the NFL.
The Falcons' uncertainty at QB continues to hurt the perception around this team. ESPN ranked all 32 NFL rosters based on their starting projected starting lineups in 2026. Atlanta landed way down near the bottom, tying for No. 29 with the Arizona Cardinals.
"The eighth pick in 2024, Penix has yet to emerge as a capable starter, totaling 14 touchdown passes in 14 games while struggling with accuracy," wrote ESPN's Mike Clay. "He tore his left ACL in Week 11 last season and now has added competition in Tagovailoa. The former Dolphin has flashed at times during his career, but Miami took on a record $99 million in dead money to move on from him after a disappointing 2025 season."

2025 was a big year of improvement for the Atlanta Falcons' defense. Their secondary was already in good shape and continued to play tight coverage, and they finally got some great pass rushing production, finishing the year second to Denver in sacks.
The Falcons still struggled against the run, though, which brought down their ceiling. The end result was a modest improvement in their scoring defense, going being ranked from 23rd in the league to 19th.
How can they do better this year? Here's Gary Davenport at Bleacher Report breaking down the best-case scenario for defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and his unit this coming season.
"The Falcons showed real improvement defensively last year, and the best-case scenario in 2026 is for that improvement to continue. They need a pass rush that again ranks at or near the top of the league in sacks and a seamless replacement of the departed Kaden Elliss with Divine Deablo at linebacker. They also need a third cornerback to step up alongside A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes. If they get those things, the Falcons could have the NFC South's best defense."
The pass rush question is still to be determined, and will be largely based on what happens with James Pearce Jr. and how long the NFL decides to suspend him. Improvement from Jalon Walker would certainly help, as would continued efforts from Brandon Dorlus inside. They'll need others to step up as well, though.

The Atlanta Falcons are focusing on fundamentals at their three-day mandatory minicamp in Flowery Branch this week. The players have spent the last two days working through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, but they won't be practicing on Thursday.
After minicamp concludes, the team will be off until training camp begins late in July. However, the Falcons still have much to figure out. The team is having an open quarterback competition between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., plus Atlanta must decide who will start at linebacker next to Divine Deablo.
Penix still isn't 100 percent in his recovery from ACL surgery but he's getting closer. Falcons edge James Pearce Jr. is back in the facility as he awaits a possible punishment from the NFL. Since the Falcons have a mostly new coaching staff, they need all of the time they can get before the live bullets start flying.
Watch highlights from Falcons minicamp, as shared by the team's YouTube channel below.
The Falcons released their official training camp schedule on Wednesday, which includes 10 open practices for fans to attend. Check out the full training camp schedule below.