Breaking Down Atlanta Falcons' Roster After the 2014 NFL Draft

The Falcons roster took a huge turn for the better in the 2014 NFL draft. Taking Jake Matthews and Ra'Shede Hageman shows that the Falcons have adjusted their overall philosophy to one that states that trench warfare wins more games.

So they went through and got guys in the offseason that fit roles the Falcons lost throughout the years. They finally replaced Harvey Dahl with the Jon Asamoah signing. They finally replaced Grady Jackson with the Paul Soliai signing. And they will finally replace losing with winning after this offseason.

Quarterbacks

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Depth Chart

Starter: Matt Ryan

Backups: Dominique Davis, Sean Renfree, Jeff Mathews

Additions: Jeff Mathews (college free agent)

Departures: None

Ryan is a franchise quarterback who is locked into the Falcons for the next five seasons. Davis and Renfree both have shown that they are nothing more than No. 3 quarterbacks masquerading as No. 2 quarterbacks. The Falcons need an upgrade there.

Signing Mathews is a unique fit, but it's unlikely for him to make the roster. If the Cornell product can somehow usurp Renfree and Davis, he would be the best option for the backup role. But Atlanta does need to go after a veteran backup.

Running Backs and Fullbacks

Depth Chart

Starter: Steven Jackson

Change of Pace: Jacquizz Rodgers

Fullback: Patrick DiMarco

Reserves: Devonta Freeman, Antone Smith, Josh Vaughan, Jerome Smith, Roosevelt Nix, Maurice Hagens

Additions: Devonta Freeman (4th round), Jerome Smith (college free agent), Roosevelt Nix (college free agent), Maurice Hagens (college free agent)

Departures: Jason Snelling (retired), Bradie Ewing (cut)

Jackson will be returning after a season where he was banged up most of the year. Jason Snelling retired, but Freeman looks to be an upgrade over him long term. Vaughn and the Smiths will compete for at most two roster spots.

Fullback will be a winner takes all battle between Nix, DiMarco and Hagens. DiMarco has the upperhand as the incumbent. But the best overall athlete is easily Nix. The Falcons will need to see how he converts, but the backfield as a whole has more talent than it did last year.

Wide Receivers

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Depth Chart

Featured: Julio Jones

Possession: Roddy White

Slot: Harry Douglas

Reserves: Devin Hester, Drew Davis, Dominique Croom, Darius Johnson, Bernard Reedy, Geraldo Boldewijn, Tramaine Thompson, Julian Jones, Freddie Martino

Additions: Devin Hester (unrestricted free agent), Bernard Reedy (college free agent), Geraldo Boldewijn (college free agent), Tramaine Thompson (college free agent), Julian Jones (college free agent), Freddie Martino (college free agent)

Departures: Kevin Cone (non-tendered)

Getting back Jones and White from nagging injuries is huge. Douglas also proved last season that he's a capable third wide receiver. However, the Falcons needed another explosive element on offense, and Hester could provide that threat as a slot receiver.

The competition for the fifth and potentially sixth roster spots will all come down to which players the Falcons like through free agency or from last season's team. Johnson and Davis could wind up taking those spots again while the rest of the guys are pure camp bodies.

Tight Ends

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Depth Chart

Starter: Levine Toilolo

Blocker: Bear Pascoe

Joker: Mickey Shuler

Reserves: Andrew Szczerba, Jacob Pedersen, Brian Wozniak

Additions: Bear Pascoe (free agent), Jacob Pedersen (college free agent), Brian Wozniak (college free agent)

Departures: Tony Gonzalez (retired), Chase Coffman (free agent), Adam Nissley (cut)

After losing Gonzalez to retirement, the Falcons should just look to redesign their offense around three wide receiver sets and fullback sets again. There just isn't the talent on the roster for a featured tight end the way Gonzalez was.

Pascoe is a great blocking tight end. Toilolo has a ton of potential as an in-line tight end and should be able to start and provide a lot in the red zone. But as a whole, the Falcons don't have the guys with the same skill sets that Gonzalez had. So they need to change the offense up.

Offensive Linemen

Depth Chart

Left Tackle: Sam Baker

Left Guard: Justin Blalock

Center: Joe Hawley

Right Guard: Jon Asamoah

Right Tackle: Jake Matthews

Swing Tackle: Lamar Holmes

Swing Guard/Center: Peter Konz

Reserves: Mike Johnson, Harland Gunn, Gabe Carimi, Terren Jones, Ryan Schraeder, James Stone

Additions: Jake Matthews (first round), Gabe Carimi (free agent), Jon Asamoah (free agent), James Stone (college free agent)

Departures: Garrett Reynolds (cut), Jeremy Trueblood (free agent), Sean Locklear (free agent)

This was the one unit in need of the biggest upgrade. The Falcons wound up signing a starting right guard and drafting the franchise piece to protect Matt Ryan. If Matthews winds up beating Baker for the starting left tackle job this year, Baker could slide over to right tackle.

This could prolong Baker's stay in Atlanta while also signifying the potential of a zone-blocking scheme. Atlanta's line is a bigger, stronger, meaner line than it was. However, since it averages 6'4" and 311 pounds, it's still not oversized for the zone-blocking scheme.

Front 7 Using 3-4/4-3 Positions

Depth Chart

Strongside End: Tyson Jackson

Nose Tackle: Paul Soliai

Weakside End/Under Tackle: Rashede Hageman

Strong Outside Linebacker: Kroy Biermann

Strong Inside Linebacker/Middle Linebacker: Paul Worrilow

Weak Inside Linebacker/Weakside Linebacker: Sean Weatherspoon

Weak Outside Linebacker/Weakside End: Jonathan Massaquoi

Reserves: Jonathan Babineaux, Malliciah Goodman, Cliff Matthews, Travian Robertson, Corey Peters, Peria Jerry, Adam Replogle, Osi Umenyiora, Joplo Bartu, Akeem Dent, Stansly Maponga, Marquis Spruill, Prince Shembo, Tyler Starr, Yawin Smallwood, Donte Rumph, Nosa Eguae, Walker May, Jacques Smith, Brenden Daley

Additions: Paul Soliai (free agent), Tyson Jackson (free agent), Ra'Shede Hageman (second round), Prince Shembo (fourth round), Marquis Spruill (fifth round), Yawin Smallwood (seventh round), Tyler Starr (seventh round), Donte Rumph (college free agent), Nosa Eguae (college free agent), Walker May (college free agent), Jacques Smith (college free agent), Brenden Daley (college free agent)

Departures: Omar Gaither (free agent), Stephen Nicholas (cut)

If there's a defensive formation that can be used, coordinator Mike Nolan is going to use it. That's why guys are listed at multiple spots and not just a single area. The Falcons are going to be able to run both 3-4 and 4-3 looks with heavy rotations to keep guys fresh.

Additions of Soliai, Jackson and Hageman improve the size up front tremendously. At this point, there is still questionable pass rush for the Falcons. So they will have to manufacture a lot of pressure up front, but they should be able to do it. 

There's some potential up front for the pass rush with Massaquoi, Starr, Biermann, Osi, Shembo and Maponga all competing for reps. But at this point, the Falcons will have to improve quite a bit and hope that the potential comes to fruition, or there won't be any pass rush.

Cornerbacks

Depth Chart

Left Cornerback: Robert Alford

Right Cornerback: Desmond Trufant

Nickel Cornerback: Robert McClain

Reserves: Javier Arenas, Josh Wilson, Ricardo Allen, Jordan Mabin, Devonta Glover-Wright

Additions: Javier Arenas (free agent), Josh Wilson (free agent), Ricardo Allen (fifth Round), Devonta Glover-Wright (college free agent)

Departures: Dominique Franks (free agent), Asante Samuel (cut)

The Falcons already had their starting cornerbacks addressed from their 2013 draft pairing of Trufant and Alford. They also had a solid nickel corner in McClain if he can return to his 2012 form. However, if he's unable to return to that form, they addressed competition with Arenas, Wilson and Allen.

Losing Franks and Samuel wasn't ideal, but considering neither player is signed by any other team at this point, it's looking like the right move. Both players are at a point where they have maxed out their potential and are on the downslope of their careers.

Safeties

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Depth Chart

Free Safety: Dwight Lowery

Strong Safety: William Moore

Reserves: Dezmen Southward, Kemal Ishmael, Zeke Motta, Sean Baker, Kimario McFadden

Additions: Dwight Lowery (free agent), Dezmen Southward (third round), Kimario McFadden (college free agent)

Departures: Thomas DeCoud (cut)

Lowery, if healthy, is the best fit for starting free safety on the roster. However, if Southward can live up to his ridiculously high potential, the Falcons could wind up with a steal in this year's draft. Southward was an average safety in college with great measurables.

Atlanta will continue to have Moore start on the strong side as he's still a Pro Bowl caliber safety. The Falcons need someone to live up to their potential at free safety or this could wind up being the top need for 2015's NFL draft.

Special Teams

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

Depth Chart

Kicker: Matt Bryant

Punter/Kickoff Specialist: Matt Bosher

Long Snapper: Josh Harris

Punt Returner: Devin Hester

Kick Returner: Devin Hester

Reserves: Matt Yoklic

Additions: Devin Hester (free agent), Matt Yoklic (college free agent)

Departures: None

The Falcons needed an explosive return specialist this offseason to help with field position the same way Eric Weems used to in 2010 and 2011. They upgraded even from that by adding Hester from the Bears in one of their best signings of the offseason.

Bosher and Bryant are back again as the punter and kicker while Harris is back as the long snapper. The Falcons have good chemistry with the unit, but Bryant is nearing the end of his career. The Falcons have one of the best special teams units, and it just got better.

All stats used are either from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN, CFBStats or the NFL. All combine and pro day info is courtesy NFL Draft Scout. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, College Football, NFL and the NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.

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