You’ve been itching for snap counts, and we have them! Here’s a breakdown of Friday night’s snaps, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Offense
WR Dylan Drummond: 39
RT/LT Mike Jerrell: 38
RG Brandon Walton: 35
WR Chris Blair: 31
LG Layden Robinson: 30
WR Zachariah Branch: 28
TE Jack Velling: 27
LG Kyle Hinton: 27
QB Cooper Rush: 27
C Corey Levin: 27
QB Jack Strand: 25
C James Brockermeyer: 25
RG Andrew Stueber: 25
HB Tyler Goodson: 24
G Kam Dewberry: 22
RT Ethan Onianwa: 22
WR Vinny Anthony: 20
RB Nate Carter: 15
LT Riley Mahlman: 13
WR Antwane Wells Jr.: 13
TE Josh Simon: 13
TE Nick Muse: 13
WR Kristian Wilkerson: 13
WR Keelan Marion: 12
RT Wanya Morris: 9
LG Matthew Bergeron: 8
WR Jahan Dotson: 8
TE Kyle Pitts: 8
HB Brian Robinson: 8
RG Chris Lindstrom: 8
C Ryan Neuzil: 8
RB Cash Jones: 7
RB Trey Sermon: 6
WR Olamide Zaccheaus: 6
TE Austin Hooper: 5
LT Jake Matthews: 3
WR Drake London: 2
TE Charlie Woerner: 2
It was a long, long look for Dylan Drummond and Chris Blair as is typical, and Blair looked good again. There were also long looks at several offensive linemen in this one, with Layden Robinson and and Kyle Hinton helping themselves and Mike Jerrell and Ethan Onianwa pretty emphatically not helping themselves. There was no magic performance on the offensive side of the ball that will make or break someone’s roster spot, though Goodson thoroughly outperforming the other backs he’s competing with certainly is going to give him an early leg up.
Though he only played 13 snaps, I’d also say Josh Simon had the kind of performance that ought to help him push for a potential fourth tight end spot. Simon looked good as a blocker and really strong as a receiver, flashing good hands and proving to be tough for Denver’s reserves to tackle. He’ll have to build on that, but this tight end depth chart could use another developmental pass catcher with Charlie Woerner and Austin Hooper on expiring deals, and Simon was intriguing a year ago.
Other than that, the less we saw about the quarterback, the better. At least we saw a handful of zippy balls between Jack Strand and Cooper Rush.
Defense
DL Devonnsha Maxwell: 43
CB Cobee Bryant: 40
ILB Josh Woods: 38
S DeMarcco Hellams: 37
S Sydney Brown: 37
CB CJ Henderson: 37
DL Carlos Allen: 36
DL Chris Williams: 36
CB Clark Phillips: 33
CB A.J. Woods: 32
CB Darren Hall: 32
DL Marlon Tuipolotu: 32
OLB Azeez Ojulari: 30
S Jammie Robinson: 28
ILB JD Bertrand: 26
ILB Kendal Daniels: 25
OLB Cameron Thomas: 24
OLB Keshawn Banks: 24
OLB Cam Sample: 23
OLB James Pearce Jr.: 22
CB Malcolm DeWalt IV: 20
ILB Harold Perkins Jr.: 20
DL Zach Harrison: 20
CB Darnay Holmes: 19
ILB Christian Harris: 17
OLB Samson Ebukam: 17
CB Mike Hughes: 14
ILB Daveren Rayner: 12
S Keidron Smith: 12
ILB Channing Tindall: 12
DL Maason Smith: 11
DL Brandon Dorlus: 6
CB A.J. Terrell: 6
CB Mike Ford: 4
For some defenders, the extended look was a good thing. Devonnsha Maxwell made the most of his team-leading snaps with some solid pass rush reps, Josh Woods looking physical and active as always, and Sydney Brown put forward the type of well-rounded performance that will help him stick around as a versatile. Rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. were really impressive, I thought, given that both were drawing major snaps for the first time in their NFL snaps. While they didn’t get as many snaps, DeWalt and Banks also stood out to me with strong days on defense. All of these players made headway in their respective battles, and for Maxwell, DeWalt, and Banks, these kinds of days could mean a practice squad spot.
Things were a little less sunny for Cobee Bryant, who is far too talented to struggle as much as he did against Denver, with a missed tackle and three of four targets headed his way ending up complete. Bryant has a lot of competition for a role in 2026, and while I think the Falcons like him enough that he’ll at least have a practice squad spot sewn up, there’s too many useful players in the competition for him to have another effort like that. For what it’s worth, I’m pretty confident he won’t.
The lack of pass rush production was concerning overall, but maybe especially so because the Falcons had James Pearce Jr. out there and couldn’t get the job done, something that won’t be true the first eight weeks of the season.
Special teams
Tyler Goodson: 14
JD Bertrand: 13
Jammie Robinson: 13
Keshawn Banks: 13
Malcolm DeWalt: 12
A.J. Woods: 12
Josh Woods: 12
Harold Perkins Jr.: 11
Channing Tindall: 11
Azeez Ojulari: 11
Sydney Brown: 9
Liam McCullough: 9
Kendal Daniels: 8
Cobee Bryant: 8
Christian Harris: 8
DeMarcco Hellams: 8
Clark Phillips: 7
Mike Ford: 7
Jack Velling: 6
CJ Henderson: 6
Vinny Anthony: 5
Chris Williams: 5
Cameron Thomas: 5
Darnay Holmes: 5
Jake Bailey: 5
Matthew Hayball: 4
Zach Harrison: 4
Darren Hall: 4
Charlie Woerner: 4
Austin Hooper: 4
Daveren Rayner: 3
Keidron Smith: 3
Nick Folk: 3
Zachariah Branch: 2
Josh Simon: 2
Devonnsha Maxwell: 2
Trey Sermon: 2
Cam Sample: 2
James Pearce Jr.: 1
Kam Dewberry: 1
Ethan Onianwa: 1
Cash Jones: 1
Nate Carter: 1
Keelan Marion: 1
Maason Smith: 1
Riley Mahlman: 1
Carlos Allen: 1
Layden Robinson: 1
Dylan Drummond: 1
Nick Muse: 1
Andrew Stueber: 1
Marlon Tuipolotu: 1
A.J. Terrell: 1
Olamide Zaccheaus: 1
Brandon Walton: 1
Mike Hughes: 1
Kristian Wilkerson: 1
Samson Ebukam: 1
Leading the team in special teams snaps and playing well on offense is about as good as it gets for a roster hopeful at running back, so good for Goodson.
The fact that special teams was by far Atlanta’s best unit bodes well for those players leading the way, with DeWalt’s standout night helping his chances and players like Bertrand and Josh Woods making fresh impressions on a new coaching staff.