The Atlanta Falcons wrapped up their preseason at 2-1 with a 17-12 win over the Dolphins in Miami on Friday night. Now, for the hard part — as the Falcons and the rest of the league must cut their 90-man rosters to 53. Final rosters must be submitted to the league office by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, so it’ll be a busy flight home for coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Ian Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan.“I loved the effort tonight,” Stefanski said afterward. “I was just telling the team how appreciative I am of the effort from April until tonight. I’d love to keep everybody, but Roger Goodell won’t allow it.”Before we dive into the names on our 53-man roster projection, there are two tricky issues worth noting.The first is how many quarterbacks the Falcons will keep. I never would have dreamed coming into training camp that the number might be four, but here we are.Then there’s the injury question. It’s possible that players like defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, offensive lineman Kyle Hinton and possibly even cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. will have to start the season on IR or the PUP list, where they don’t count against the 53-man roster. I’ve made my list based on my projections because the Falcons haven’t shared much about injury timelines during training camp. (James Pearce Jr. will go on the reserve/suspended list to begin serving his eight-game suspension and won’t count against the 53 until he returns.)Projecting the practice-squad players is just a way to open myself up to being wrong — a lot — but I’ve added those, too.Top Plays from Falcons @ DolphinsQuarterback (4)In: Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush, Jack StrandFour quarterbacks on a 53-man roster is a lot, but the Falcons are facing a dilemma. Strand, despite being a fantastic story and a very intriguing prospect, is not ready to play in a regular-season game, and the No. 3 QB on this roster has to be ready to play because of the health history of the top two quarterbacks. Atlanta could try to put Strand on the practice squad, but he could then be claimed by another team. The claiming team would have to add him to its 53-man roster, so that might not happen, but the Falcons probably shouldn’t take that risk at a position with so much potential upside.Tagovailoa started Friday night’s game against the Dolphins and finished 7-for-8 for 95 yards. Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 practice work this week but said he didn’t feel ready for live action. He will be ready in time for the Sept. 13 season opener if he wins the starting job, he said.Running back (3)In: Bijan Robinson, Brian Robinson, Tyler GoodsonPractice squad: Cash JonesThe biggest question in this room is not whether Goodson has made the team but whether he has done enough to be the No. 2. The fourth-year pro has never had more than 153 rushing yards in a season, but he has been explosive throughout the preseason. In addition to being one of Atlanta’s main kick returners, expect Goodson to get carries this year. He had two catches for 36 yards Friday night. Bijan Robinson dressed but did not play against the Dolphins.Wide receiver (5)In: Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zachariah Branch, Chris BlairPractice squad: Dylan Drummond, Beaux CollinsIf you think of this wide receiver room like a basketball team, Zaccheaus and Branch are the guards, Dotson is the wing and Blair and London are the post players. The most interesting question about this group is how much London will line up in the slot versus outside. Under Arthur Smith in his first two seasons, London was outside on more than 80 percent of his snaps, according to TruMedia. Under Zac Robinson the last two years, he was in the slot for at least 35 percent of his snaps each season. Moving London around makes it harder for defenses to plan for him, but with Zaccheaus and Branch both best suited for the slot position, London may go back toward his early usage trends. (For the record, he says he doesn’t care where he lines up.)Blair is entering his fourth NFL season and only has one career catch, but he has shown marked improvement during training camp and should factor into this rotation. Drummond has had a solid camp and would be the sixth man here if the Falcons keep six.Tight end (3)In: Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner, Austin HooperPractice squad: Joshua Simon, Nick MuseAtlanta has taken a look at a lot of multiple-tight-end formations throughout the spring and summer. I don’t think that equates to keeping four tight ends, but it is a reason they might keep a couple on the practice squad. Any idea that Hooper’s signing might lead to a lesser role for Woerner appears to be wrong. Woerner is going to be very involved in this offense in the same (mostly blocking) role he’s had in the past. Hooper will be the second pass-catching option behind Pitts.Pitts will be looking to validate the faith the Falcons showed in him with an offseason extension, and he has had a solid camp. If Tagovailoa starts a lot of games, Pitts could put up big numbers because he has been Tua’s favorite safety valve throughout camp.Offensive line (9)In: Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, Matthew Bergeron, Jake Matthews, Jawaan Taylor, Corey Levin, Michael Jerrell, Ethan Onianwa, Brandon WaltonPractice squad: Wanya Morris, James Brockermeyer, Andrew StueberThe most surprising thing here might be that Morris is not on my list. Atlanta got the 25-year-old from Kansas City this offseason in a trade. He has started 16 NFL games, but he just hasn’t been in the rotation much during practices. When Morris has practiced, it has been at left tackle — not his usual spot on the right side — and that versatility plus his athleticism and potential probably keep him around on the practice squad.Jerrell appears to have earned the swing tackle job as the top backup at both outside positions, and Onianwa and Walton both bring inside-outside versatility that will be valuable on game days. Hinton will be in this group if he doesn’t go on IR.Edge rusher (4)In: Za’Darius Smith, Samson Ebukam, Cameron Thomas, Azeez OjulariPractice squad: Bralen TriceThis group looks a lot different than Atlanta hoped it would, and that could prove a critical factor this season. Jalon Walker was lost for the year with an ACL tear, and Pearce was suspended for the first eight games. The Falcons added Smith as a result, and the 11-year veteran with 70.5 career sacks believes he’s ready to contribute significant sack numbers. It would help a ton if he can.Ebukam and Thomas appear to have established themselves as starters, and Smith will be a designated pass rusher, at least to start. Ojulari, who joined the Falcons this year in free agency, has 32 NFL starts and 22 sacks but has had a quiet camp and is not a lock.Defensive tackle (5)In: Brandon Dorlus, Maason Smith, Zach Harrison, LaCale London, Chris WilliamsPractice squad: Carlos Allen Jr., Devonnsha Maxwell, Eric Johnson IIThe loss of Hand has hurt this group. The Falcons added him and Smith in the offseason to solidify their run defense, but Hand has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury and may have to start the season on IR or PUP. If he’s going to miss extended time, Atlanta might have to add another big body.Smith has been disruptive throughout camp, and if he can have a breakout year, it would be a huge boost for the defense. Dorlus already had his breakout year with 8.5 sacks last year. He needs to build on that.Inside linebacker (5)In: Divine Deablo, Christian Harris, Kendal Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr., Josh WoodsPractice squad: JD Bertrand, Daveren RaynerIt looks like we can start thinking of Kendal Daniels as a starter now. The fourth-round rookie initially looked like he would get worked into the rotation slowly behind Harris, but Daniels continues to get practice snaps and praise from his teammates and coaches. By starting Daniels and Deablo (a lock in the starting lineup), the Falcons would have two inside linebackers who are 6-foot-3 or taller and have a wingspan of 79 inches. That’s going to make throwing to the middle a challenge. Perkins, a sixth-round rookie, has also been impressive but probably will make his biggest 2026 impact on special teams unless the Falcons figure out a way to get him a few pass-rushing snaps.Cornerback (8)In: A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Avieon Terrell, C.J. Henderson, Billy Bowman, Darnay Holmes, Clark Phillips III, Mike Ford Jr.Practice squad: Natrone BrooksThe rotation here looks pretty set. A.J. Terrell and Hughes will start at outside cornerback. Phillips III and Henderson, both of whom have had quietly good training camps, will back them up.Things get more interesting at nickel. Holmes has taken most of the first-team nickel snaps in recent practices, but second-round rookie Avieon Terrell is getting healthy.The wild card here is Bowman, who hasn’t so much as joined the stretching line during training camp while he works his way back from an Achilles tear. If Bowman is the player he was last year when he’s healthy, he’ll quickly be in the starting conversation. If Ford is in this group, it will be because of his special teams value.Safety (4)In: Jessie Bates, Xavier Watts, Sydney Brown, DeMarcco HellamsPractice squad: Jammie RobinsonBates has missed most of training camp with what Stefanski said is a minor injury. He won’t need any ramp-up time when he’s healthy, but there’s no indication yet about when that will be.Hellams has gotten a lot of snaps in Bates’ absence and will start next to Watts if Bates is not ready to roll. Brown will be a bit of a Swiss Army Knife in the secondary.Specialist (3)In: Liam McCullough (LS), Jake Bailey (P), Nick Folk (K)There’s no mystery here. These are the only specialists on the roster.