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The Atlanta Falcons just announced a couple of transactions. Relax, the team that’s been virtually silent in free agency still isn’t doing much importing.

The Falcons basically took care of a couple of house-keeping duties. They went ahead and re-signed long-snapper Joe Zelenka, who was an unrestricted free agent. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

They also announced that Vance Walker has signed his restricted-free-agent tender, which is sort of the equivalent of announcing that there was daylight in Atlanta today. It's not like Walker really had any other choice but to sign the tender.

TAMPA, Fla. -- As we wait on more news from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are in contract talks with prized free-agent receiver Vincent Jackson, let’s take a quick run through some other early free-agent developments around the NFC South.

• The Bucs apparently aren’t focused solely on Jackson. They also are making a run at New Orleans guard Carl Nicks.
• The Saints may be looking to replace Nicks with Ben Grubbs. They reportedly will visit with Grubbs on Wednesday.
• The Panthers announced moments ago that they have released veteran guard Travelle Wharton after re-signing Geoff Hangartner. I'll be back in a bit with analysis on that move.
• The Falcons have given defensive tackle Vance Walker the low tender ($1.26 million) for restricted free agents. If Walker receives an offer to another team, the Falcons have the right of first refusal.

The NFC South is a division without a dominant defensive tackle.

But I think it’s fair to say Atlanta’s Corey Peters and Jonathan Babineaux, New Orleans’ Sedrick Ellis and Tampa Bay’s Brian Price were the best the NFC South had to offer in 2011. Apparently, their coaches agreed.

According to playing-time numbers obtained by ESPN.com, Ellis led all NFC South tackles by taking part in 66.3 percent of New Orleans’ 1,061 defensive plays. That percentage ranked Ellis No. 16 in the NFL and he was the only NFC South player in the top 20.

Peters was next at 60.4 percent, which ranked No. 23 in the league. Babineaux was No. 30 at 54.1 percent. Price, who was somewhat limited by injuries and was sent home early from one game by former coach Raheem Morris, took part in 47.1 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive plays. That tied him at No. 37 in the league with teammate Roy Miller.

Carolina rookie Terrell McClain was one spot behind them, taking part in 46 percent of his team’s defensive plays. After that, there was a big drop off among the rest of the division’s tackles and we should note that Tampa Bay’s Gerald McCoy probably would have finished in the top four or five in the NFC South if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury.

Let’s take a look at the percentage of playing time for the rest of the NFC South defensive tackles:

• Sione Fua, Panthers, 39.7
• Vance Walker, Falcons, 36.85
• Andre Neblett, Panthers, 36.2
• Albert Haynesworth, Buccaneers, 35.8 (included time with Patriots)
• Peria Jerry, Falcons, 35.6
• Tom Johnson, Saints, 30.1
• Shaun Rogers, Saints, 29.7
• Frank Okam, Buccaneers, 28.2
• Aubrayo Franklin, Saints, 27.3
• Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers, 20.8
• Frank Kearse, Panthers, 16.5
• Ogemdi Nwagbuo, Panthers, 15.6
• Ronald Fields, Panthers, 13.9
• Mitch King, Saints, 4.8
• Carlton Powell, Falcons, 3.8
• DeMario Pressley, Panthers, 3.8
• Jovan Haye, Buccaneers, 2.8

Since the NFC South doesn’t have a team in the Super Bowl, let’s start looking ahead to the 2012 offseason.

We’ll start by taking a look at each team and its potential free agents. We’ll start with the Atlanta Falcons. We’ll list all of their potential free agents. Each one listed is a potential unrestricted free agent, unless he’s noted as a restricted or exclusive-rights free agent. After I list the free agents, I’ll summarize what could be the most important moves as teams re-sign players between now and the start of free agency in mid-March.

Here are Atlanta’s potential free agents: Defensive end John Abraham, defensive end Kroy Biermann, offensive lineman Kirk Chambers, safety Thomas DeCoud, receiver Harry Douglas, cornerback Brent Grimes, cornerback Kelvin Hayden, tight end Reggie Kelly, linebacker Curtis Lofton, center Todd McClure, linebacker Mike Peterson, offensive lineman Brett Romberg, safety James Sanders, running back Jason Snelling, receiver Eric Weems, long-snapper Joe Zelenka, tight end Michael Palmer (exclusive rights), running back Antone Smith (exclusive rights) and defensive tackle Vance Walker (restricted).

Lofton and Grimes are the most significant names on that list. They’re key defensive starters, and they’re in their prime. Keeping Lofton, the quarterback of the defense, might be the top priority. There’s little doubt the Falcons want Grimes back. He’s developed into a very good cornerback, despite the fact that he’s undersized. But Grimes could get big money elsewhere. The Falcons already have a lot invested in cornerback Dunta Robinson, and might not be able to pay huge contracts to two cornerbacks.

Abraham, McClure and Peterson are nearing the end of their careers. Any of them could decide to retire. The Falcons also could decide to bring back any of them as a role player. Abraham still was the team’s best pass-rusher in 2011.

It’s likely the Falcons will have some interest in keeping Biermann, DeCoud, Douglas and Snelling. They’re still young, but they could get better offers elsewhere. Hayden and Sanders each are veterans that could test the market, but eventually return to give the Falcons depth.

ATLANTA -- That playoff game the Atlanta Falcons lost in January is still going on.

It has lingered through a lockout and a lackluster first four games. It dragged on even further Sunday night as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Falcons 25-14 at the Georgia Dome. Five games into the season, it’s painfully obvious that the Falcons aren’t the same football team they were before that playoff game.

This game was closer than the 48-21 playoff victory that No. 6-seed Green Bay had in the same building, but this loss might have been even worse for the Falcons. It came after the Falcons, who were 13-3 and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs last season, thought they had filled some of the holes that had been exploited in the season-ending loss to the Packers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

The Falcons went out and traded up in the draft and took receiver Julio Jones. In free agency, they got the pass-rusher they wanted in Ray Edwards. If the Falcons weren’t all-in in their quest for a Super Bowl (or at least the first playoff victory in coach Mike Smith’s tenure), they had only a chip or two left on the table.

Now, they’ve dealt themselves a terrible hand. They’re 2-3. They have as many losses as they had all of last season, and despite a promising start Sunday night that turned out to be nothing but a tease, they showed they’re a team with all sorts of problems.

“It’s early,’’ quarterback Matt Ryan said. “The season is a marathon. We need to bounce back. The message in our locker room and amongst our guys was that we need to put this behind us.’’

Ryan was talking about what happened Sunday night. But he might as well have been talking about everything that has happened to the Falcons since the January loss to Green Bay. Starting with that game, the Falcons haven’t been anything like the 2010 team. They haven’t been much like any of Smith’s three previous teams.

Those three teams put together the first two (and then three) consecutive winning seasons in franchise history by playing smart, efficient football. This team, despite having the most talented roster since Smith has been coach, isn’t playing that same style.

“We’re certainly not where we would have like to have been,’’ Ryan said. “But we are where we are. What we did last year doesn’t really make a difference as to what we’re going to do this year. I think the football team that we have this year needs to improve. We’re going to do that.’’

They had better hurry up. Despite the talk about it being “early,’’ it’s starting to get a little late. The Falcons are in third place in the NFC South. The 4-1 New Orleans Saints are alone atop the division, and the Falcons won't be able to overtake them if they continue playing the way they’ve started this season.

The Falcons were plain bad in losses to Chicago and Tampa Bay. They nearly squandered a huge lead in Seattle last week, and their other victory came when they got hot late against Philadelphia. They haven’t played anything close to a complete game yet.

That’s what makes the latest loss so particularly painful. For a change, the Falcons came out looking like the Falcons of old -- or maybe the Falcons they were supposed to be this season. The offense looked as sharp as it has all season as the Falcons moved 80 yards on 13 plays to score a touchdown on the opening drive.

The defense, which also had struggled, followed that up with a turnover -- a fumble forced by cornerback Brent Grimes and recovered by defensive tackle Vance Walker. The offense came back on the field, looking as it had on the first drive. Michael Turner scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, and it looked as though the Falcons had finally escaped the shadow of that embarrassing playoff loss.

Then it all fell apart. It wasn’t quite all at once. The defense kept playing well for the rest of the first half, limiting Green Bay to two field goals.

“At 14-6 at the half, you’ve got to like where you’re at against a potent offense,’’ Smith said. “After that, it wasn’t the type of football we want to play.

The Falcons couldn’t keep Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 127 yards in the first half, and the Packers out of the end zone in the second half. Rodgers finished with 396 passing yards and two touchdowns.

“The guy’s playing unbelievably right now,’’ Smith said.

There’s no doubt about that. But Ryan threw for only 87 yards in the second half and was intercepted twice. The offense didn’t come close to scoring in the second half.

“They won the ballgame,’’ Smith said. “They’re a very good football team. My hat is off to Coach [Mike] McCarthy and his staff. We have to get better.’’

Give praise to Rodgers, McCarthy and the rest of the Packers. But put plenty of blame on the Falcons. They’re the ones who jumped out to a 14-0 lead in their own stadium, then watched the Packers score 25 straight points. They’re the ones who keep saying everything is going to be fine, even though almost everything we’ve seen for five games suggests otherwise.

“I know we’re 2-3,’’ tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “We just need to rattle off a couple of wins, and we’ll be OK.’’

Yeah, he could be right. The talent is there on paper. But the Falcons had better get themselves out of whatever rut the playoff run started. If they don’t, they won’t be in the playoffs in January.

ATLANTA -- Thoughts on the Atlanta Falcons' 25-14 loss against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at the Georgia Dome.

What it means: There’s nothing to be ashamed of when you lose a close game to the defending Super Bowl champions. But it’s a completely different story when you lose at home after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in your own building and then get steamrolled. The Falcons had a chance to right their season. Instead, they’re 2-3 and in third place in the NFC South. With New Orleans leading the division at 4-1, the Falcons haven’t left themselves with much margin for error the rest of the way.

What I liked: The Falcons scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. They put together an impressive drive to start the game. They followed that up by getting a fumble recovery from Vance Walker (forced by cornerback Brent Grimes) and punched that in for a touchdown. Fast starts, lengthy drives, consistency and forcing turnovers were not a strong point for Atlanta in the first four games.

What I didn’t like: The offense didn’t do much of anything after that. That put a damper on what had been a very strong defensive performance most of the night.

Stat of the night: Despite the absence of defensive end John Abraham (hip injury) the Atlanta defense snapped its streak of three straight games without recording a sack. Ray Edwards, Atlanta’s top free-agent pickup, even got into the act and recorded his first sack of the season in the fourth quarter.

Injuries to note: Nickel back Chris Owens suffered what the team described as a head injury in the first half after making a jolting tackle on a Green Bay punt return. Owens did not return to the game. Kelvin Hayden took his place. Safety William Moore injured his shoulder in the first half and did not return. Veteran James Sanders took his place.

What’s next: The Falcons host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

Some tough injury news out of Atlanta.

D. Orlando Ledbetter reports that Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux will be out three to five weeks with a partially torn ACL, according to his agent. The team hasn’t given an update on the injury yet.

But losing Babineaux, perhaps the top defensive tackle in the NFC South, isn’t going to help a defense that struggled in the opener. The Falcons played Chicago without Corey Peters, a starter last season. Peters was out with a knee injury, but coach Mike Smith indicated Monday there’s at least hope Peters will be able to return this week against Philadelphia.

If Peters is ready, the Falcons likely would start him next to Peria Jerry. If Peters can’t play this week, the Falcons would be very thin in the middle of the defensive line. After Jerry, Vance Walker and Carlton Powell are the only other defensive tackles. Both are career backups.

There’s a perception that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan doesn’t have a very strong arm.

If you saw Saturday night’s 34-16 preseason loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, you now know that’s a total myth. In the second quarter, Ryan threw one of the prettiest deep passes you’ll ever see. With the ball at his own 48-yard line, Ryan took a deep drop and heaved a perfect pass a few yards into the end zone.

Julio Jones, who was brought into bring explosive plays and allow Ryan to showcase his arm, slightly beat his man and dove for a pass that couldn’t have been put in a better location.

One slight problem -- Jones dropped the pass. But, hey, it’s a preseason game and the fact he dropped it doesn’t really matter. What’s important is Ryan -- who completed 22 of 42 passes for 220 yards with one touchdown and one interception while playing only the first half -- showed himself, his teammates, his coaches and his critics that he’s got a big enough arm to do some deep damage.

The Falcons have made it pretty clear they’re going to throw down field more often this season. Now, they should have the confidence to do it frequently and maybe Jones will hold onto the ball.

Some other observations on the Falcons:

• The Atlanta defense made Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown look like an All-Pro. He caught two touchdown passes, including a long one where safety Thomas DeCoud completely mistimed a leap to try to intercept the ball.
• It might be cliché to say a guy is in midseason form. But it’s accurate when you talk about Atlanta receiver Roddy White. How many receivers have 100-yard games in the preseason, unless one of the catches is for 60 or 70 yards? While playing only the first half, White had eight catches for 101 yards and his longest play went for 22 yards.
• I can’t help but wonder what Atlanta’s defensive line is going to look like after rosters get cut down to 53 players. Defensive ends Ray Edwards, John Abraham and Kroy Biermann are probably locks to make the team. So are defensive tackles Jonathan Babineaux, Corey Peters and Peria Jerry. Vance Walker, who had a sack Saturday night, is probably battling Trey Lewis for the final spot. Or the Falcons could carry five defensive tackles. But things get interesting at defensive end after the first three. The Falcons like young ends Lawrence Sidbury and Cliff Matthews. They also have veteran Chauncey Davis. But the interesting thing is Davis has a $3.75 million salary-cap figure. That’s way too high a number for a fourth defensive end. I’m guessing the Falcons go with Sidbury or Matthews because they can free up $3 million in cap space for this year by releasing Davis.

James Varney takes a look at how the Saints 53-man roster could shape up. One of the bigger questions is if the Saints will keep both Chase Daniel and Patrick Ramsey as reserves behind Drew Brees.

Scott Fowler writes about how “awful’’ Carolina’s offense has been during the preseason. No argument about that. But it’s time for yet another reminder: It’s the preseason. Carolina’s defense has looked spectacular in three exhibitions. Carolina fans shouldn’t be freaking about the offense or celebrating the defense until we see both units in the regular season.

Bradley Handwerger writes about how Chip Vaughn is making a case for a roster spot at safety. The case could get a lot stronger if injured veteran Darren Sharper is placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list, is cut or retires.

D. Orlando Ledbetter’s got his breakdown on how Atlanta’s roster might shape up. It looks like the Falcons are going to have to cut a pretty decent defensive tackle with Thomas Johnson and Vance Walker on the bubble. Just a thought here, but if I’m a personnel guy in Carolina, I’m watching the waiver wire closely because either of these guys could be an upgrade over what the Panthers have.

All indications continue to be that Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman should be good to go in time for the regular-season opener.

Atlanta coach Mike Smith has talked several times about how he wants to use a seven- or eight-man rotation on his defensive line. He also has said repeatedly he wants to make sure none of his defensive linemen are on the field for more than 35 or 40 plays a game.

Sounds nice in theory, but the Falcons are going to have to make some changes and get bigger contributions from several new guys and players who were injured last year to really make this plan work.

I just gathered up the numbers on how much playing time each of Atlanta’s defensive linemen played last season and several things jumped out.

The biggest thing was that defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux averaged 53 plays a game last year. Of Atlanta’s 1,034 defensive snaps, Babineaux was on the field for 846 (81.8 percent of the defensive plays). That’s a huge amount for a defensive tackle.

To put it in perspective, Babineaux ranked behind only Minnesota’s Kevin Williams, who was on the field for 86.1 percent of his team’s defensive plays, among all the defensive tackles in the league. There were only a handful of defensive tackles across the league that even reached the 60 or 70 percent range.

It’s great that Babineaux was able to hold up physically through all that, but the Falcons wound up playing him a lot more than they wanted to. A large reason for that was because they lost rookie defensive tackle Peria Jerry to injury very early in the season. That took away the depth behind Babineaux because guys like Thomas Johnson (41 percent of the plays), Vance Walker (23.5 percent) and Trey Lewis (19.7) had to pick up snaps in Jerry’s spot. The Falcons also rotated defensive end Jamaal Anderson to defensive tackle at times. I don’t have a breakdown on how many snaps Anderson got at each position, but he was on the field for 550 snaps (53.2 percent).

You can bet that Babineaux’s not going to be on the field as much this season. First, he’ll miss the opener against Pittsburgh because he’s suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Even when he comes back, the Falcons aren’t going to ask Babineaux to stay on the field as much as he did last year. Jerry is expected to be fully healthy for the opener and the Falcons are very happy with third-round draft pick Corey Peters, who should be a big part of the rotation. Although Anderson still is getting some work at end, he’s probably going to get more time at tackle because the Falcons have asked him to bulk up for a bigger role in the interior.

That’s actually good news for Babineaux. When a defensive tackle is playing as much as Babineaux did last year, he’s bound to get tired at times. In a rotation, the Falcons will be able to keep Babineaux, who led the team with 6.5 sacks last season, much fresher.

The other guy that jumped out at me was defensive end John Abraham. He averaged 42.3 snaps a game last year. Now, that might not sound far off of Smith’s goal of 35 to 40 snaps for each defensive lineman. But Abraham’s a little different than the rest because of his age. Abraham was on the field for 676 plays (65.4 percent) last season. I think the Falcons would like to keep Abraham to 35 or fewer snaps a game to maximize his ability as a pass-rusher.

Keep in mind, Abraham’s production dropped last season. He produced only 5.5 sacks. That came after he produced 16.5 in 2008. So I went back and checked on Abraham’s 2008 playing time. In that season, Abraham was on the field for 60 percent of the plays. That might not sound like a huge difference from last year, but it’s significant when you’re talking about a player of Abraham’s age.

I think what the Falcons want to do with Abraham this year is keep him fresh and try to limit his play, as much as possible, to obvious pass-rushing situations.

That might mean using Chauncey Davis, who was on the field for 49 percent of last year’s plays, mostly on running downs and Anderson still will get some work on the outside in those situations. But the two defensive ends who are likely to see their playing time increase are Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury. Biermann was in for 46.9 percent of last year’s snaps. Sidbury was only on the field for 10.3 percent of the defensive plays. Both of those guys are young and the Falcons think they’re emerging as pass-rushers. I think you can count on Biermann and Sidbury being on the field more often this season.

The NFL’s announcement that Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux will be suspended for the season opener is not good news in any way. But it certainly wasn’t unexpected and it absolutely was something the Falcons prepared for.

Babineaux got into some legal trouble last year and the one-game suspension is officially for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The Falcons almost certainly knew this was coming throughout the entire offseason and they had time to prepare for the fallout.

This is part of the reason they used a third-round pick on defensive tackle Corey Peters. They’re also expecting last year’s first-round pick, Peria Jerry, to be back from an injury that forced him to miss almost his entire rookie season. There are plenty of other options.

“Last year on our depth chart Vance Walker played (Babineaux’s) position and DT Trey Lewis would have backed up on the other side, but the positions are interchangeable,’’ coach Mike Smith said. “We are playing both left and right defensive tackles.”

Babineaux’s spot in the starting lineup for the long term is safe because he was the team’s best defensive lineman last year. The Falcons also slide defensive end Jamaal Anderson inside sometimes, so there are plenty of options and veteran Thomas Johnson got 10 starts last year.

Sure, the absence of Babineaux is in no way a positive. But it’s only for one game. Keep in mind, that game is against Pittsburgh, which will be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

For the record, Babineaux will be allowed to continue practicing and playing through the preseason. He’ll have to be away from the team starting exactly one week before the opener. He’ll be eligible to return to practice the day after the game with the Steelers.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. –- It seems every year at this time, the question repeats itself: Will this be the year Atlanta defensive end Jamaal Anderson plays up to his potential?

It’s been a valid question in the past and there is even more of a sense of urgency now. Anderson was taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2007 draft, but he’s never come anywhere close to living up to the hype that followed him out of college.

I think it’s safe to say Anderson never will become the pass rusher people thought he could be. But he still may have a role on this team. I talked with coach Mike Smith about Anderson on Friday and he said the Falcons plan to try to maximize Anderson’s versatility. The Falcons want to use him at defensive end and defensive tackle and make him part of a rotation of six or seven defensive linemen who will shuffle in and out of the lineup.

“His plan doesn’t change from what we did last year,’’ Smith said. “In our base package, he’s going to play left defensive end and compete with Chauncey Davis for that spot. On sub downs, we feel he can be more productive as an inside rusher. He’ll be playing defensive tackle in the sub downs. We feel like there are probably seven guys we’d like to roll through week in and week out. We just feel the rotation of the defensive line is going to be very important for us to have what we need."

That’s a good move and it could create a nice niche for Anderson, who bulked up a bit to try to become more of a force inside. But I’m looking at Atlanta’s depth chart and it’s obvious Anderson needs a good training camp to claim that role. The Falcons have Abraham and Davis and they also think Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury can develop as pass rushers. That’s four defensive ends right there. At defensive tackle, the Falcons have Jonathan Babineaux, Peria Jerry is coming back from missing most of his rookie season with an injury and veterans like Thomas Johnson, Trey Lewis and Vance Walker also are in the mix.

If Anderson can step up a little, he’ll have a shot because there still is some untapped talent there. But I can also see a scenario where, if he struggles in camp and some other guys step forward, Anderson could be a candidate for release.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

NEW ORLEANS -- Just got word that injured Atlanta running backs Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling will not be active for tonight’s game.

That leaves the Falcons with starting running back Michael Turner and Aaron Stecker, who was signed last week, as their only running backs.

The Falcons will activate Ovie Mughelli, who had been out with an injury, and Verron Haynes will be his backup. Haynes also could be used as a backup running back.

Also, defensive tackle Thomas Johnson will be inactive. Trey Lewis and Vance Walker are expected to share his duties.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just got the inactives for the Falcons and there are no surprises.

Cornerback Tye Hill, fullback Verron Haynes, safety Antoine Harris, linebacker Spencer Adkins, offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka, offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds and defensive tackle Vance Walker are inactive. John Parker Wilson is the third quarterback.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

I just got off the phone with Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff after doing an interview for a column that will run Friday. Gee, with the Falcons going to New England on Sunday, anybody think this one might be a look at how Dimitroff’s time with Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli could be playing a role in Atlanta being built into one of the league’s best young teams?

	AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
	Thomas Johnson will get a chance to start in place of the injured Peria Jerry.

Anyway, we’ll get much more into that Friday. But I did take the opportunity at the end of the interview to ask Dimitroff about Atlanta’s situation at defensive tackle after first-round draft pick Peria Jerry went down Sunday with a season-ending knee injury.

“It’s very unfortunate,’’ Dimitroff said. “As you know, we had big expectations for Peria and he was off to a nice start. He was grasping the system and really coming along.’’

But Dimitroff said the Falcons are prepared to move on and he has high hopes for the rest of the defensive tackles, even if there aren’t many big names. The Falcons have Jonathan Babineaux, who I think might be the most underrated player in the NFC South, as their other starting defensive tackle and that’s a good starting point.

But I asked Dimitroff to run through the rest of the group and I respect his judgment because the guy is a top-notch personnel man and I can’t say I’ve seen him make a true mistake since taking over the Falcons.

Atlanta likely will move Thomas Johnson into the starting role. This guy was out of the league the last two years, but the Falcons believe they’ve got a diamond in the rough -- maybe even a couple of diamonds. We’ll start with Johnson: He was a part-time starter for Houston in 2006.

The Falcons took a shot on signing Johnson and he showed some of his old promise in training camp. He performed so well that the Falcons decided to make him their third tackle. Johnson rotated in quite a bit behind Jerry and Babineaux in the first two games and graded out very well. The Falcons think he can make the next step and develop into a solid starter.

But what does that do to the back end of the rotation? Well, remember this, the Falcons didn’t panic and go out and sign some washed-up veteran. That means they believe they’ve got some other young guys who can grow into bigger roles.

They have Trey Lewis, who is coming off two major knee injuries, but showed some promise as a rookie in 2007. They also elevated Vance Walker off their practice squad.

“We knew we had Thomas and Trey and we drafted Vance (in the seventh round) and like him,’’ Dimitroff said. “Trey is coming along well after his ACL injuries and we like what we have. We believe we have a strong, stout rotation. I’ll even go ahead and say that we believe that even with Peria’s injury, we are still further ahead on the defensive line than we were last year at this time.’’