ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons open the 2023 NFL regular season against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 10 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Coach Arthur Smith said multiple times this offseason he wanted to create an environment in which the 53-man roster would be difficult to make. Based on camp, he accomplished that goal.
"The league is so much more transactional. Practice squads are bigger, so there's more job opportunities. Then, you have the standard elevations," Smith said. "So it's just so different. Certainly, there's the initial shock for some guys. Nobody ever wants to be rejected, whether you even bring them back on the practice squad.
"There is the 53[-man] cut, but there's so much more opportunity and things can change from that initial 53 to the next day to even the weekend going into the game and the way you use elevations."
Atlanta should have more depth throughout its roster than at any point since Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot were hired in January 2021, due in part to finally having cap space and partly because of good drafting. All of which has led to difficult cuts throughout the initial 53 (which almost assuredly will change).
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Falcons: