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There are high hopes for the Atlanta Falcons' offense in 2025. But the franchise still can’t escape reminders of a haunted past. Looking forward, here are two Falcons' hidden gems you need to know on the 2025 roster.
Every NFL eye saw what the Falcons did in the first round of the draft. They set their defensive future on a pair of players they hope will transform their defense.
However, it could be two other players on the defense who add to the overall good vibes. And both of them play the safety position.
Falcons safety Xavier Watts looking to shine
The Falcons liked what they saw from Watts and didn’t hesitate to make him their first pick outside of the first round. It comes down to playmaking, according to atlantafalcons.com.
“Xavier is an impact player because he takes the ball away,” Falcons area scout Ryan Doyal said in an exclusive interview with atlantafalcons.com. “You're going to see a really impressive stat line. When you're in the teens for interceptions in your career and you're a two-year starter? And you're in the teens? You've turned the ball over quite a bit. You want to talk about making an impact? Turnovers make an impact.
“Every team is always looking for turnovers. You look at the statistics, you are winning games based off of these turnovers. So, impactful? Yeah. Absolutely. Every day of the week.”
Also, it’s about skill and ability, according to Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
“You see the speed,” Rutenberg said. “(And) you see the movement. You see the size. You see all of that, and you combine that with his ball production? Plus, finding out more about him as a person?” Rutenberg said. “What more do you want?
“He's going to do a ton for us, and have a great impact for us, along with the awesome guys that we already have. Just getting a guy with the versatility — can play man, can play zone, can blitz, is really good in the run game — on top of the fact, and I am always going to come back to this with Xavier, he's a heart, mind, and fist type of guy. It's what we're looking for.”
Falcons have a strong duo at the safety position
The Falcons already like the pairing with Jessie Bates III, who is high on Watts, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Went to Notre Dame, smart guy, ball skills (are) off the charts,” Bates said. “It'll be good to have a guy like that, that plays above the head, has a good feel for just football itself. He's a hell of a football player. It's going to be nice to be that leader for him, because I know what that was like as a safety walking in.”
Furthermore, head coach Raheem Morris got into the compliment mix, too.
“He’s very instinctual like Jessie Bates,” Morris said. “He’s not afraid to take those shots and take those chances when necessary. Definitely sees the ball off light and come out the quarterback's hands and do some of those things really well. Ball skills and ball awareness is what you kind of talk about. This guy has both ball skills and ball awareness, and I think they're at a really high level.”
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Adding to the compliments, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Watts is that guy, according to nytimes.com.
“This guy’s a stud,” Fotenot said. “So, we’re very excited. We were aggressive when we went up and got him, and very excited about that. I mean, outstanding character, serious worker, competitor, high-end instincts, former receiver, ball hawk.”
Falcons safety Billy Bowman adds to mix
The Falcons cashed all but one of their chips in for defensive reinforcements in the draft. And they doubled their pleasure with a second safety selection.
The good thing is the way Bowman complements Watts, according to nytimes.com. Bowman said he expects to be on the field early in the season.
“My expectations are always (to start) right away,” Bowman said. “I’m a guy that’s an alpha, and I’m sure that the other guys here are alphas, too. We’re going to come in, compete, make each other better. If I don’t start, I’ll do whatever I need to do to make the team better. I’m going to always put myself in position to be in that conversation.”
Watts said he thinks the duo will work together.
“I just think we’re very similar,” Watts said. “We’re similar in size. He gets the ball. He’s a playmaker. He can tackle well. So, I feel like we’re very similar in all aspects of the game of football.”
And Morris said the pair makes for an easier time to fill needs in the secondary.
“It’s going to be a very competitive safety room,” Morris said. “Having Watts come here and compete with those guys, get a chance to get on the field and really be productive for us is something that we look forward to doing this spring.”
Also, Fontenot said Bowman is fun to watch.
“If you don’t enjoy watching him play, then you just don’t like football,” Fontenot said. “He’s got ball awareness and is just an unreal competitor. Next-level competitor. So, very, very excited about him and what he brings to our team and our defense.”
