If you spent the spring and summer in a galaxy far, far away and the team's 0-2 start still didn't tip you off, Atlanta is going through a rebuild. Teams in rebuild mode generally shed players with large contracts and avoid signing "prime" free agents. But teams in that situation can also be a magnet for "fringe" players - guys who are looking to resurrect their careers, win a starting job and put up some good game film for their next free agency contract. The media universally expects Atlanta to have the worst record in the NFL and land the first pick in the 2023 draft. Like most teams, they have a handful of marquee players and early round draft picks in their starting lineup. But that's not enough to turn a franchise around. If the Falcons are going to beat those expectations and have any level of success this season, they need more players than just the "stars" to step up and play significant roles. And that's where this list comes in. These are non-rookie players who were Day 3 draft picks, went undrafted, or were kicked to the curb by their previous teams. These are the guys who would fit right in with Lee Marvin in "The Dirty Dozen", at least up until Telly Sevalas screws everything up. Here's my list (six offense, six defense) of the Dirty Dozen, 2022 Falcons-style: Marcus Mariota: seems to be the obvious choice for the Lee Marvin role, so I figured I'd get him out of the way straight off the top. He was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill, spent 2020 as a backup to Carr with the Raiders, and was only used as a "change of pace" guy in 2021 - throwing all of two pass attempts all season long. Sure, Desmond Ridder is the future. But he's still a work in progress. For now, Mariota is the best choice to lead this bunch. Mykal Walker: fourth round pick in 2020, played very little at ILB last season (with Deion Jones taking 92% of defensive snaps at one ILB position and Foye Oluokun taking 98% of snaps at the other). Now he's not only starting, but he's wearing the green dot as the defensive signal caller. (I'm also rooting for him because he was one of my picks for ATL in our 2020 mock.) Elijah Wilkinson: went undrafted in 2017, signed with the Broncos as a UDFA. Played well in Denver and was tendered as a RFA in 2020. Then he broke his leg and wasn't resigned after the season. He landed with Chicago on a cheap one-year contract. The Bears didn't resign him for 2022, so he came to Atlanta on another cheap one-year contract. And now he's starting at left guard. Rashaan Evans: drafted #22 overall by the Titans in 2018. Didn't fare so well after Tennessee's coaching changes. The Titans declined to pick up his fifth year option and then opted not to resign him when his contract expired. He's here on a one-year contract and reunited with Dean Pees, who was the defensive coordinator for the Titans in 2019-2020. He's the other starting ILB along with Mykal Walker. Olamide Zaccheaus: signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Some of the pre-draft internet reports on him were less than kind. Lance Zierlein's writeup for NFL.com said he had poor hands, a small catch radius, below average hand-eye coordination, and that his "pass-catching technique is gross". But he was a bit of a hybrid WR/RB at Virginia (didn't become a true starter until his senior year) with explosive capability when breaking free. His versatility made him a favorite for Arthur Smith. The Falcons tendered him as a RFA, and he's the only member of Atlanta's 2021 receiver group on the roster for 2022. He's now starting along with top draft pick Drake London. Lorenzo Carter: the perfect example of a "prove it" contract. Carter was drafted in the third round by the Giants in 2018. He had success as a rotational pass rusher in his first two seasons, then suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2020. He still had some success as a full time starter in 2021, but didn't produce enough to justify a large contract in free agency. New York allegedly made some attempt to resign him, but it must not have been that much of an effort. Atlanta got him on a one-year deal for a meager $3.5 million. At age 26, he's the grizzled veteran of Atlanta's outside pass rush group. Drew Dalman: fourth round pick in 2021. First-time starter Matt Hennessy struggled badly with pass protection in 2021, and this year Dalman beat him out for the starting center role in a competition that wasn't settled until after the roster cut deadline. If he falters, Hennessy is still the active interior backup and showed improvement during training camp this year. Jaylinn Hawkins: fourth round pick in 2020. Although he was drafted for former coach Dan Quinn's cover three scheme, he did well as a backup in the team's new scheme in 2021. Now Dean Pees is pushing the younger players forward and handing him the keys as the starting free safety for 2022. KhaDarel Hodge: undrafted in 2018, making the Rams practice squad and then their roster. Waived in 2019, claimed by the Browns. Had 15 receptions in 25 games (one start) for Cleveland before being waived and claimed by the Lions. Had 13 receptions in 16 games (one start) for Detroit and was not tendered or resigned. Signed with Atlanta on a cheap one-year deal to compete for a roster spot, as Atlanta valued his blocking and special teams potential as well as needing depth at WR. He's making the most of the opportunity so far, with five catches on six targets (third on the team in both categories) as a top backup receiver and a key contributor on special teams. Ta'Quon Graham: fifth round pick in 2021. Played well as a rookie and earned more playing time by the end of the season. He wasn't expected to start, but the injury to Vincent Taylor and retirement of Eddie Goldman (and no veteran acquisition so far to replace them) meant that one of the prospects would have to start at DE opposite Grady Jarrett. Graham was already a strong contender for that role, but subsequent injuries to Marlon Davidson, Bryce Rodgers and Jalen Dalton left Graham as the starter almost by default. I'm rooting for him, but I do think the team would do very well to sign or trade for an experienced starter and let him be the top rotational player for 2022. It's the defensive line, so there are plenty of snaps to go around. Parker Hesse: undrafted free agent for Tennessee in 2019, practice squad for two years. Signed by Atlanta for 2021, starting with the practice squad and later appearing in 8 games. He showed solid blocking skills in preseason, and he's now Atlanta's second TE in two-TE formations (sometimes lining up in the backfield as a fullback) along with Kyle Pitts. Anthony Rush: undrafted in 2019. Had been with six other franchises, making 16 total game appearances (no starts) before landing on Atlanta's practice squad in 2021 and eventually making it up to the regular roster. He qualified for restricted free agency after the season. The Falcons did not offer him a tender but did resign him for 2022, and the big guy (he lists at 350) opens the 2022 season as the starting nose tackle. A key to a successful rebuild is that when fringe players like these step up, particularly the cheap free agents, that's an asset the team gains without investing a draft pick. Whenever that happens, that's a step forward in developing the roster. The Falcons demonstrated that quite well in their 2008 rebuild, coming off of the Bobby Petrino fiasco. Players like Brent Grimes, Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl established their careers that season, and the team didn't use a single draft pick to land any of them. My take is that if eight or more guys on this list perform well, the team will eventually get rolling in 2022 and exceed expectations. (Admittedly, that's not a particularly high hurdle to clear.) If eight or more of them flop, Atlanta will indeed be looking at a top five draft pick and possibly even #1 overall. Of course, there are others who might fill in if some of these players falter, such as Hennessy for Dalman, Damiere Byrd or Bryan Edwards for Zaccheaus or Hodge, or Marlon Davidson (eligible to come off IR after week four) for Ta'Quon Graham. But regardless of whether it's the listed player or a substitute, the Falcons will be counting on the prospects, projects and rejects to fill these roles. And for the ones who succeed, it should also be noted that the team will have over $60 million more in cap space going into free agency next season. There are longer term careers to be won here.
Since this post, Atlanta has gone 4-2. And in a world turned upside down, they are somehow on top of the NFC NASCAR division, at least until next weekend. The Dirty Dozen are coming through, and others who weren't on the list for various reasons have been stepping up as well. So far the only "flop" of the entire set is nose tackle Anthony Rush, who was released a few weeks ago. Undrafted rookie Timmy Horne is now getting a few more snaps in his place. Dean Pees is also helping out by frequently taking Horne off the field in the nickel package, going with two interior linemen, two edge rushers and two linebackers. Kha'Darel Hodge has been used less on offense in the last few weeks, but that coincides with increased playing time for Damiere Byrd, who was not on the list simply because I limited it to 12 players. I had figured the speedy Byrd to be the most likely slot receiver from the outset. It's finally starting to happen now. He's certainly showing that he's a home run threat in the same way the team previously used players like Antone Smith and Taylor Gabriel. Byrd has 142 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in the last two games - on four catches. If he's on the field, the opposing defense simply can't sell out to stop the run. In the meantime, Hodge is still a core player on special teams and is still rotating in as a reserve WR when needed. He's not failing by any means - the coaching staff is simply getting a few more looks at Byrd. I had excluded rookies and 1st-3rd round draft picks selected by the Falcons themselves from the list on the grounds that they weren't "unwanted" enough to fit with the true Dirty Dozen theme. I also left out guys who were on the practice squad at that time or not projected to play much, as the team wasn't depending on them to come through as contributors. But rookie Tyler Allgeier and practice squad call-up Caleb Huntley have both stepped up and delivered a sledgehammer of a running game in the absence of Cordarelle Patterson and Damien Williams. Likewise, cornerbacks Darren Hall and Dee Alford weren't expected to be major parts of the defense at that time. But with Casey Hayward now out for the season, last year's fourth rounder Hall is likely to be the replacement starter for the rest of the year. Alford had taken the nickel spot away from Mike Ford while the team awaited the return of Isaiah Oliver. Oliver is now back, and Alford is likely to be the top backup in rotation. If I did the list from scratch now, Hall would definitely be one of the twelve. Alford would still be excluded as he's technically a rookie (formerly CFL), but he certainly deserves a shout-out for his contributions. So for now, the status report is that 11 of the 12 are performing well. None of them are All Pro studs by any means, but they're doing their jobs - and the team is winning. Lee Marvin would be proud of them. I had projected that if at least 8 of them succeeded, the team would get rolling and exceed expectations. I don't think anyone would have projected Atlanta to lead the division going into week nine. I'll also say that an updated version of the list would scratch Rush and replace him with Darren Hall - who is now one of the most critical players on defense as he is likely to be put to the test by any pass-happy offense that Atlanta faces.
It’s good to see the Falcons in first place. Definitely nobody saw this coming. Would be refreshing to see them win the division.
