The Atlanta Falcons have a new head coach, Raheem Morris, and a new quarterback, Kirk Cousins, but owner Arthur Blank has the same old expectations — that his team will be a contender.
It’s been a while since that’s been true. The Falcons’ last playoff appearance came after the 2017 season, one year after the ill-fated Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. If Atlanta is ever going to return to relevance, it will take a combined effort from plenty of returners and newcomers.
Today, we’ll start counting down the 20 most important Falcons for the 2024 season with Nos. 20-11. Tomorrow, we’ll unveil Nos. 10-1 on the list.
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The Los Angeles Rams drafted Byron Young 77th last year, and he started 16 games under then-Rams defensive coordinator Morris. As the new head coach of the Falcons, Morris drafted Trice with the No. 74 pick, so the University of Washington product may be headed toward the starting lineup.
Even if he’s not, or maybe especially if he’s not, Trice has to give Atlanta some pass-rushing juice. He had 16 sacks in his final two seasons at Washington. If he can get six or more in his first year with the Falcons, it will be a boon for a defense with fewer sacks in the last five years (138) than any team in the NFL, according to TruMedia.
Veteran safety Jessie Bates said of Hellams: “He has no problems playing football, seeing it and feeling it. The biggest thing is him understanding the playbook.” Now Hellams will be learning his second playbook in as many years as a pro.
Hellams took the starting job from 2021 pick Richie Grant in the final month of last season (once he became more comfortable with the playbook). Now he’ll have to prove he’s got the new system down. If he does, he provides a physical component the Falcons are looking for in their secondary. Hellams had 31 tackles in his final six games last year.
As a rookie, the 6-foot-5, 318-pounder had a blocking grade of 59.1 from Pro Football Focus, ranking him middle of the pack at his position among starters in the league. Overall, the Falcons were pleased but expect a step forward.
A physical run blocker, Bergerson will have to make the same adjustment all of Atlanta’s offensive linemen have to make — getting comfortable in a pass-first system rather than leaning on the run game. One of the reasons Bergeron was so highly sought after by the previous staff was his run-blocking acumen. He graded out at 57.1 in his pass-blocking assignments last year, according to PFF. Now, he’ll have to marry more finesse with his power.
A second-round pick in 2021, Moore has yet to live up to that pedigree. He has 1,201 receiving yards in the last three seasons, which ranks 86th in the league in that span and is less than Puka Nacua’s last year in Los Angeles alone. That’s why the Cardinals were willing to trade him to Atlanta in exchange for a backup quarterback.
But there’s also a reason the Falcons made the trade. Moore has averaged 6.9 yards after the catch per reception in the last three years, which ranks 19th in the NFL, according to TruMedia. The Rams’ system that Atlanta is installing this offseason thrives on yards after the catch. (Los Angeles is third in the NFL in that category since Sean McVay became head coach in 2017.)
The Falcons hope that playing in an offensive system that plays to Moore’s strengths and teaming him with a veteran quarterback in Cousins will unlock Moore’s potential and turn him into a dangerous third option at receiver.
The Atlanta Falcons hope wide receiver Rondale Moore (14) can jump-start his career with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. (Dale Zanine / USA Today)
Morris referred to Dalman this offseason as “just a psychopath.” It was meant as a compliment. Dalman was graded the No. 9 center in the league last year by PFF, which gave him an 82.3 grade for the season. That was in Arthur Smith’s offense. Now, he must learn a new offense and new responsibilities, although the retention of offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford should ease that transition.
Dalman said in May that his biggest offseason goal was to improve his pass protection, which makes sense considering his PFF grade was a 53, the lowest of any Atlanta player.
A breakout player of the year candidate, Harrison has added weight and is north of 280 pounds for his second year in the NFL. That’s because the new staff is switching him from a 3-4 defensive end to a 4-3 defensive lineman. This will be the first time Harrison has played on the interior in his football career, but he looks ready to play the part. If new defensive line coach Jay Rodgers can teach Harrison to use his athleticism and length effectively inside, the Falcons might have found a real disruptor. Harrison’s 36 1/4-inch arms are the longest measured on a defensive lineman in the last two seasons at the NFL combine.
14. Clark Phillips III, cornerback
The second-year pro is competing for the No. 2 starting spot. That might change if the Falcons add a veteran in the free-agent market, but Phillips has to behave like it’s on him. He had some bright spots as a rookie but also struggled at times to overcome his 5-foot-9 stature, which is why he was available for Atlanta to draft in the fourth round in 2023.
Phillips started the final five games of the season, and his mindset during the offseason was to “just get better every single day, learn the scheme, learn the defense,” he said. He got lots of first-team snaps during OTAs while A.J. Terrell rested a hamstring injury. If the Falcons don’t sign another cornerback, it’ll come down to Phillips or Mike Hughes for a starting spot.
A second-round pick in 2022, Andersen played only two games last season due to a torn pectoral muscle. Nate Landman, an undrafted free agent, played well enough in Andersen’s absence to briefly get some Pro Bowl voting attention, but the Falcons need Andersen to take back this starting job.
The elite athleticism that convinced Atlanta to draft him highly out of Montana State can be a differentiator for middle linebackers, who are asked to cover more and more space in the middle of the field. If the new Falcons defensive staff can turn Andersen into an above-average coverage player and still get some pass rush out of his speed, he could grow into one of the top interior linebackers in the league.
Atlanta has gotten all it could have asked for from the sixth pick in 2014. He has started 167 games, including an NFL-high 161 straight at left tackle, and last year he graded out at 71.2, according to PFF.
What can the Falcons expect now that Matthews is entering his 11th year in the league? What they hope for is an offensive line anchor who can hold up in a pass-first system and keep Cousins clean even at age 32. There’s some evidence he’s up to that, considering his pass-blocking grade from PFF (80.1) was the highest among Atlanta’s offensive linemen.
Cousins and Matthews already have clicked because Matthews is one of the few players in Atlanta’s locker room old enough to catch Cousins’ many movie references.
GO DEEPER
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After following former Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen from New Orleans to Atlanta, Onyemata has to learn a new defensive system for the first time in his nine years in the league.
Onyemata had a career-high 50 tackles and tied his career high with 16 quarterback hits in his first year in Atlanta, and that was without Grady Jarrett next to him for half the season. As long as Onyemata is comfortable in the new defense and Jarrett is back at full strength, Onyemata has a chance to be one of the most disruptive No. 2 defensive tackles in the league next year. And that’s exactly what Atlanta is going to need from him.
Check out the top 10 on Thursday…
(Top photos of Jake Matthews and DeMarcco Hellams: Kevin C. Cox and Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)