Eight months ago, Falcons fans were feeling as low as they have in a long time. Coming off another 7-10 season that ended with a 48-17 embarrassing loss to the Saints. A dark cloud hung over the city.
But a glimmer came through. Arthur Smith was fired, but it seemed like the Falcons were in no man’s land without a quarterback. Over the next eight months, everything in Atlanta cleared up. Clear skies, a shining sun, and hope for a fan base.
The Falcons hired Raheem Morris, who brought the hottest offensive coordinator candidate in Zac Robinson with him, then went out and signed Kirk Cousins. Over the next few months, the Falcons mostly sat on their hands, outside of the earth-shattering Michael Penix Jr. selection.
However, a couple of weeks ahead of the highly anticipated season, the Falcons acquired Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons, who filled the defense’s two biggest holes, one of which (pass rusher) had existed for more than a decade.
There was so much frustration under Arthur Smith that it felt like a breath of fresh air under Raheem Morris. But to reopen the wound a bit or give fans some vindication, Smith recently alluded to him having a significant say in the Falcons roster decisions.
“It’s kind of freeing,” Smith said with a grin, according to Brooke Pryor, when talking about having fewer responsibilities as an offensive coordinator. “You don’t have to worry about [the roster]. Especially if you were involved in a roster as much as I was in Atlanta. It’s like, ‘Hey, that’s not my call, and I’m going to coach guys we got.'”
There were some discussions among fans about who was deciding to draft, not draft, sign and not sign some players. That’s no longer the case.
The Falcons draft classes from 2021 to 2023 were poor at best, and Smith deserves to shoulder some of that blame. The free agent signings were mediocre at best, and he should bear some of that burden, most of which involved quarterbacks, as well.
Terry Fontenot deserves a share too, but it’s clear that he’s not a traditional GM with a firm grip on the roster.
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Photographer: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
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