FLOWERY BRANCH — A look at the teams on the Falcons' schedule and how they have reconstructed their roster since the season's end:
GAME FOUR: BUFFALO BILLS
GAME FIVE: MIAMI DOLPHINS
Dolphins at Falcons, at 1 p.m. Oct. 15
No longer with the Dolphins: OT Branden Albert, DE Mario Williams, DT Earl Mitchell, CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Dion Sims, DL Jason Jones, DE Dion Jordan and DL William Hayes.
Key free agent signings: Linebacker Lawrence Timmons; tight end Julius Thomas; guard Ted Larsen, safety Nate Allen; tight end Anthony Fasano and safety T.J. McDonald.
Miami's 2017 NFL Draft
Weaknesses: The Dolphins must stop the run. They gave up 140.4 yards per game last season, which ranked 30th in the league. Teams averaged 4.84 yards per rush against the Dolphins, which was 31st in the league. Offensively, the Dolphins offensive line was weak. There were 10 games where Miami rushed for less than 100 yards.
Strengths: The emergence of running back Jay Ajayi, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season took pressure of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry caught 94 passes for 1,136 yards and four touchdowns last season.
Comment: The Dolphins went 10-6 last and made their first appearance in the playoff since 2008.
FALCONS SCHEDULE
Exhibition season
Falcons at Miami Dolphins at 7 p.m. Aug. 10
Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers at 4 p.m. Aug. 20
Arizona Cardinals at Falcons at 7 p.m. Aug. 26
Jacksonville Jaguars at Falcons at 7 p.m. Aug. 31
Regular season
Sept. 10 at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., Fox
Sept. 17 Green Bay Packers, 8:30 p.m. NBC
Sept. 24 at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. Fox
Oct. 1 Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m., CBS
Oct. 8 BYE
Oct. 15 Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., CBS
Oct. 22 at New England Patriots, 8:30 p.m., NBC
Oct. 29 at New York Jets, 1 p.m., Fox
Nov. 5 at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox
Nov. 12 Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Nov. 20 at Seattle Seahawks (Mon) 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Nov. 26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., Fox
Dec. 3 Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., Fox
Dec. 7 New Orleans Saints (Thur), 8:25 p.m., NBC/NFL Network/Amazon
Dec. 18 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mon). 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 24 at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., Fox
Dec. 31 Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox
THE FALCONS 2017 DRAFT
MUST READ PROFILE: Falcons top pick McKinley makes name for himself
2017 Falcons report card: Falcons earn a B-plus
NFC Champs add a pass rusher, quality depth
1st rounder: Meet defensive end Takkarist McKinley
3rd rounder: Meet linebacker Duke Riley
4th rounder: Meet offensive guard Sean Harlow
5th rounder: Meet defensive back Damontae Kazee
