Roster spots on the line

Thursday’s game is last chance for players battling for jobs to separate themselves.

FLOWERY BRANCH — Shortly after the Falcons’ exhibition season is completed on Thursday night, the team’s personnel decision-makers will gather to trim the roster from 90 to 53 players. With the Falcons opening the season Sept. 6 in Philadelphia, they will not have the luxury of pushing things up against the 4 p.m. Saturday deadline for a final roster.

The starters will not play in the

exhibition finale against Miami at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Reserves will have an extended opportunity to impress coaches.

In a crowded secondary, reserve Blidi Wreh-Wilson helped himself with an interception in the third exhibition game against Jacksonville.

Offensive guard Sean Harlow, who was a fourth-round pick in 2017, is battling for one of the final roster spots. He was inactive for all 18 games last season.

The Falcons are revamping their defensive tackle position after not re-signing Dontari Poe. They also didn’t re-sign reserve tackles Courtney Upshaw and Ahtyba Rubin. Grady Jarrett, Deadrin Senat, Terrell McClain and Jack Crawford are locks to make the roster, while Justin Zimmer and Garrison Smith are on the bubble. Jon Cunningham appears to be a longshot.

Zimmer, who’s spent time with New Orleans and Buffalo, is looking forward to the final exhibition game.

“I know that obviously the starters don’t play, so I’m going to get quite a few reps,” Zimmer said. “I’m just going out there and try to put my best game on tape. So, if I don’t end up here

maybe I can end up somewhere else. Just play as best as I possibly can.”

Linebacker Jonathan Celestin has had a strong camp. “Early on, what we saw in practice was a really good and square tackler,” coach Dan Quinn said. “At linebacker that is really important.”

The Falcons want to see if Celestin can play in space on coverage units. “That’s where we have taken a deep look at him over the last couple of weeks,” Quinn said.

Reserves who can’t land those final spots on the roster want to play well with the hope that one of the other 31 teams are impressed. “There are a lot of people watching,” linebacker De’Vondre Campbell said. Some of the players released will resurface on the 10-man practice squad.

Here’s a position-by-position look at how the Falcons could cut down to 53 players for the start of the season:

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS (2) LOCKS: Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub. LONGSHOTS: Kurt Benkert and Garrett Grayson. RUNNING BACKS (5/6) LOCKS: Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith. ON THE BUBBLE: Ricky Ortiz (fullback). LONGSHOTS: Justin Crawford, Terrence Magee, Jalston Fowler (fullback) and Malik Williams. WIDE RECEIVERS (6/7) LOCKS: Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley, Justin Hardy and Russell Gage. ON THE BUBBLE: Marvin Hall and Reggie Davis. LONGSHOTS: Dontez Bryd, Devin Gray, Lamar Jordan, Julian Williams and Christian Blake. TIGHT ENDS (3/4) LOCKS: Austin Hooper, Logan Paulsen and Eric Saubert. LONGSHOTS: Jaeden Graham, Troy Mangen and Alex Gray. OFFENSIVE LINE (9/10) LOCKS: Alex Mack, Jake Matthews, Ryan Schraeder, Brandon Fusco, Andy Levitre, Wes Schweitzer and Ty Sambrailo. ON THE BUBBLE: Ben Garland, Jamil Douglas, Sean Harlow and Matt Gono. LONGSHOTS: Daniel Brunskill, J.C. Hassenauer, Salesi Uhatafe, Austin Pasztor and Kendall Calhoun.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE ENDS (5-6) LOCKS: Vic Beasley Jr., Takkarist McKinley, Derrick Shelby and Brooks Reed. ON THE BUBBLE: Anthony Winbush. LONGSHOTS: Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, J.T. Jones and Mackendy Cheridor. DEFENSIVE TACKLES (5/6) LOCKS: Grady Jarrett, Deadrin Senat, Terrell McClain and Jack Crawford. ON THE BUBBLE: Justin Zimmer and Garrison Smith. LONGSHOTS: Jon Cunningham. LINEBACKERS (5/6) LOCKS: Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, Duke Riley and Foyesade Oluokun. ON THE BUBBLE: Kemal Ishmael. LONGSHOTS: Emmanuel Ellerbee, Emmanuel Smith, Jonathan Celestin and Dewey Jarvis. CORNERBACKS (5/6) LOCKS: Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Brian Poole, Justin Bethel and Isaiah Oliver. ON THE BUBBLE: Blidi Wreh-Wilson. LONGSHOTS: Chris Lammons, Leon McFadden and Deante Burton. SAFETIES (3/ 4) LOCKS: Ricardo Allen, Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee. ON THE BUBBLE: Ron Parker. LONGSHOTS: Tyson Graham, Secdrick Cooper and Marcelis Branch. SPECIALISTS (3) LOCKS: Matt Bryant, Matt Bosher, Josh Harris. LONGSHOTS: David Marvin and Giorgio Tavecchio.

CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM Falcons defensive tackle Terrell McClain (right) faces off against Justin Zimmer. McClain is a lock to make the roster while Zimmer is on the bubble. Of Thursday’s game, Zimmer says: “I’m just going out there and try to put my best game on tape.”

CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM Offensive guard Sean Harlow is battling for a roster spot.