The Falcons first preseason game is in the bag, and Michael Penix Jr. impressed in what little action he saw, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Raheem Morris’ team.
Two critical pieces to Jimmy Lake’s defense suffered significant injuries. DeMarrco Hellams, who was competing with Richie Grant for a starting role next to Jessie Bates, will miss significant time, Morris told reporters while Bralen Trice will miss the entire 2024 campaign.
Hellams unseated Grant last year as a rookie and had a legitimate shot at securing a starting spot on this defense. In a secondary with very little hope outside of Bates and A.J. Terrell, this is a brutal loss, but it pales in comparison to the loss of Trice.
The Falcons pass rush was a major talking point this offseason. Hell, it’s been a weakness for as long as I can remember, and all Terry Fontenot did to bolster it was draft Bralen Trice in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fontenot and Morris stuck with the status quo, essentially replacing Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree with Ruke Orhorhoro, Bralen Trice, and Brandon Dorlus. It was an uninspiring effort, and now it looks even worse.
Bralen Trice wasn’t going to make or break the Falcons pass rush by any means, but he was the one rookie who was expected to have a significant impact this season.
If all goes well, Michael Penix Jr. will not see the field unless it’s garbage time. Orhorhoro, Dorlus, and JD Bertrand are expected to be depth pieces, while the rest of the Day 3 picks will not see the field much at all.
It’s yet another uninspiring draft class by Terry Fontenot. The Falcons now have serious issues on the defensive side of the ball.
I’d normally say a free agent addition is expected, but this regime has had every opportunity to add a proven commodity to the pass rush and secondary this entire offseason and hasn’t done anything, so I wouldn’t expect anything.
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