Quarterback Jack Strand made the Atlanta Falcons’ initial 53-man roster Sunday, and running back Tyler Goodson did not. The betting odds for that being the case would’ve been very low when training camp began.Strand, the undrafted free agent out of Division II Minnesota State Moorhead, is not expected to compete for the starting job anytime soon, but the Falcons were pleased enough with his development that they were clearly worried he’d be claimed by another team if he were waived. Atlanta also kept fellow QBs Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. and Cooper Rush on the roster.Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt “cannot say enough good things about (Strand’s) development. Great head on his shoulders, pretty unflappable,” Atlanta offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said last week.Goodson’s omission from the roster was the most surprising outcome of the day for the Falcons. The fourth-year pro with blazing speed had an impressive training camp and appeared to be one of the team’s main kick returners. He is expected to be added to the practice squad if he does not join another team.Here’s the full 53-man roster that was released Sunday evening, along with one thought on each player:Top Plays from Falcons @ DolphinsQuarterbacks (4)Tua Tagovailoa: Tagovailoa has the fourth-best completion percentage in the NFL (68 percent) since joining the league in 2020. That could be what makes him the Week 1 starter despite his preseason struggles.Michael Penix Jr.: Penix might be one confidence boost away from being the starter in Atlanta for the next five seasons (or more), or he could be off the roster when his rookie deal runs out.Cooper Rush: Rush has started 16 NFL games in his eight-year career, including 10 in the last two years. That experience is critical considering both players ahead of him have checkered health histories.Jack Strand: The 6-4, 240-pounder is called “Tree Trunks” by his coaches and teammates because of his thick legs. “That dude’s a tank, bro,” wide receiver Drake London said.Running backs (2)Bijan Robinson: For all of coach Kevin Stefanski’s talk about the importance of playing starters in the preseason, Robinson didn’t take a snap. He has only played 11 preseason snaps in his four years in the league, and they all came against the Bengals his rookie year.Brian Robinson: He has shown a physical style in practice that cements his role as the new Tyler Allgeier. Bijan Robinson fantasy managers may not like how many goal-line carries he gets.Wide receivers (5)Drake London: London is the third-highest-paid wide receiver in the league after an offseason extension. He might only be consistent quarterback play away from being considered one of the best in the league (outside of Atlanta).Jahan Dotson: The 2022 first-round pick comes to the Falcons with a chip on his shoulder, and he’ll have plenty of opportunities this year. He hasn’t popped much in practice, but he’s still in line to be the second-leading receiver on this team.Olamide Zaccheaus: A veteran who believes he can help change the culture in Atlanta after playoff runs at three different stops the last three seasons, Zaccheaus will have to hold off rookie Zachariah Branch.Zachariah Branch: The third-round pick has been explosive since he stepped on the practice field. But he has dropped a few passes, and he’s going to have a hard time getting playing time if that doesn’t stop.Chris Blair: No wide receiver on the roster has made a bigger jump this offseason than Blair, who has one career catch in three seasons.Tight ends (3)Kyle Pitts: If Tagovailoa starts 17 games this season, Pitts might have the breakout fantasy season people have been waiting on since he was drafted. He has been a favorite target of Tagovailoa’s and a very consistent presence in the offense.Charlie Woerner: Woerner is entering his seventh season because of his blocking abilities, but his tight end teammates will be working hard this year to get him his first NFL touchdown catch.Austin Hooper: Hooper returns to the place where he began his career after stops in Cleveland, Tennessee, Las Vegas and New England. Expect him to be involved in the passing game.Offensive linemen (9)Ryan Neuzil: The former UDFA enters his second season as a regular starter.Chris Lindstrom: Lindstrom has been to the Pro Bowl and named a second-team All-Pro in each of the last four seasons.Matthew Bergeron: To the surprise of some, he jumped Lindstrom on the salary scale this year with a new deal worth $23.5 million per year.Jake Matthews: The NFL’s reigning ironman with 195 straight starts, Matthews will be playing his 13th season this year.Jawaan Taylor: The longtime Chiefs right tackle was flagged for two false starts in the first quarter of the preseason finale. It’s been a trend in Taylor’s career, and it’ll drive Stefanski nuts if it doesn’t get fixed this year.Corey Levin: The backup center is versatile enough that we could see him take some fullback snaps this year.Michael Jerrell: Acquired in a trade with the Seahawks last year, Jerrell has shown improvement this fall and likely will be the game-day swing tackle.Ethan Onianwa: The seventh-round rookie could play right tackle in a pinch, but Atlanta would like to let him develop this year.Kyle Hinton: The veteran reserve has missed more than a week of practice with a lower-body injury, but the fact that he’s not on injured reserve means he’s expected back sooner rather than later. That’s a good sign for the Falcons’ depth.Defensive ends (3)Za’Darius Smith: The three-time Pro Bowler and 11-year veteran has 70.5 career sacks. He thinks he can play long enough to get to 100.Samson Ebukam: Ebukam had a breakout season in 2023 with 9.5 sacks but suffered a torn Achilles in 2024. He’s hoping to return to that 2023 form.Cameron Thomas: The 2022 third-round pick (by the Cardinals) has looked like a stout presence against the run.Defensive tackles (6)Gervon Dexter: Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham was in Chicago when the Bears drafted Dexter, and on Sunday, Cunningham traded Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick to get him. The Falcons hope to get a new deal done with Dexter, according to a team source.Da’Shawn Hand: Hand is on his fifth team in what will be his ninth year. He joined Atlanta on a one-year deal and likely will be on to a sixth team next year if the Falcons’ younger defensive tackles develop this year.Brandon Dorlus: After a breakout 8.5-sack season last year, Dorlus believes he can do more. He’ll need to, considering the team’s lack of depth at edge rusher.Maason Smith: The Falcons traded Ruke Orhorhoro for Smith because they wanted a bigger body in the middle. It has looked like a good move considering how disruptive Smith was all preseason.Zach Harrison: The 2023 third-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is still looking for the kind of season that will guarantee a second contract. He had 4.5 sacks in seven games last year before a knee injury.LaCale London: London came to Atlanta as an undrafted rookie in 2021 and has gotten better — slowly but surely — since then. He started five games last year, and he could start more this year.Linebackers (5)Divine Deablo: Atlanta was 13th in the league in defensive EPA per play (3.3) in the 13 games Deablo played last year. It was 25th (minus-9.4) in the four games he missed.Christian Harris: Harris looked like a sure starter when he came over from the Texans in the offseason, but he might have lost his spot to rookie Kendal Daniels.Kendal Daniels: The former safety quickly has become the defense’s best trash talker, and he looks like a steal as a fourth-round pick.Harold Perkins Jr.: The sixth-rounder would be the talk of training camp if Daniels weren’t playing so well. He’s going to get defensive snaps and be a regular on special teams.JD Bertrand: The Falcons’ fifth-round pick from 2024 made the cut over special teams ace Josh Woods, which is something of a surprise.Cornerbacks (7)A.J. Terrell: The six-year veteran plans on upping his interception numbers this season. He has only two in the last four years, both of which came in 2024.Mike Hughes: The eight-year veteran has quietly put together a very solid camp, and his starting spot hasn’t been threatened.Avieon Terrell: The 2026 second-round pick has missed more than half of training camp with an undisclosed injury, but he’s healthy now and started at nickel back in the final preseason game.C.J. Henderson: Like Hughes, Henderson is a former first-round pick who has had a very solid camp. A solid second-stringer who will get some snaps.Mike Ford Jr.: Ford is entering Year 9 in the NFL because he’s a special teams demon and one of the best punt coverage gunners in the league. He has played more than 2,000 career special teams snaps.Natrone Brooks: Versatility got Brooks on the roster. The former undrafted free agent added reserve safety to his list of skills this offseason.Malcolm DeWalt IV: A veteran of Snow College (Utah), Butte College (Calif.) and Akron makes the roster after a strong push late in training camp.Safeties (6)Jessie Bates: The veteran hasn’t practiced since the first week of August with what Stefanski described as a “minor back thing.” There’s no indication if he’ll be ready for Week 1.Xavier Watts: With Bates on the sideline for most practices, Watts has had to become more vocal in his second season, which should help his development.Sydney Brown: A third-round pick by the Eagles in 2023, Brown came to Atlanta in an offseason trade and has looked like the most versatile member of the secondary. He’ll provide depth at nickel and safety.DeMarcco Hellams: No player has benefited more from Bates’ time off than Hellams, who has worked with the starters for most of the last month.Billy Bowman Jr.: The Falcons listed Bowman as a safety on their official release Sunday, but he’s got just as much value at cornerback, where he’ll be competing for the starting nickel job again as soon as he’s healthy. The fact that he’s not on the injured reserve list is a good sign he will return soon from last year’s Achilles tear.Jammie Robinson: Robinson proved himself in six games as a secondary backstop and core special-teamer last year, and that skill set got him back on the roster.Specialists (3)Liam McCullough: The only returning member of Atlanta’s special teams unit enters his fifth year as the team’s long snapper.Jake Bailey: The eighth-year punter also has a pilot’s license.Nick Folk: At 41 years old, the Falcons place kicker was the fourth-oldest player at an NFL training camp this year. This will be his 19th season.