For the first time in over five years, the Falcons are coming into the season with expectations of making the postseason, which they signaled by signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guarantees. Raheem Morris won’t be given a grace period like his predecessor. The Falcons have the pieces in place to win a more than manageable NFC South, but there are a few gray areas — which may be putting it generously — that must be addressed for this team to reach its full potential.
Raheem Morris and Jimmy Lake
It’s no secret the Falcons lack talent on the defensive side of the ball. That was apparent last season, and they are essentially running it back with the same group minus their two sack leaders from a year ago in Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree. Those guys weren’t world-beaters by any means, but they were solid veteran pieces that will be missed. In their place, the Falcons turned to a trio of rookie pass rushers, one of which is already out for the season in Bralen Trice.
That’s a massive blow this early in the year, and it only adds more to the plate of Jimmy Lake and Raheem Morris, who will have to put on a masterclass of defensive coaching. We know it’s not impossible, because Ryan Nielsen was able to accomplish a lot a season ago with the same group, at least until Grady Jarrett went down with a season-ending injury. However, there are holes all over the defensive line, and the secondary might be in even worse shape.
DeMarcco Hellams also went down with a significant injury in the team’s first preseason game. He may not have started, but he was competing for the job with Richie Grant, and was at the very least some quality depth behind him that could start in a pinch. Now, safety is an even bigger concern as the season approaches, and it pales in comparison to the Falcons situation at corner. Outside of A.J. Terrell, no other corner has proven they deserve to start on the outside, which could quickly turn into a nightmare against the best quarterbacks.
The Falcons defense is one major injury away from catastrophe because of its lack of depth. Morris and Lake will need to coach the young guys up quickly in order to achieve sustained success on that side of the ball.
A dominant offensive line
I could type for hours about the Falcons’ concerns defensively because there are a ton of them, but if this team is going to finally break its postseason drought, the strengths will have to shine through, which lie primarily on the offensive side of the ball.
Kirk Cousins and his plethora of weapons will capture all of the headlines leading up to the season, but I would argue the biggest strength of Atlanta’s offense is the offensive line. Chris Lindstrom is a superstar on the interior. Drew Dalman is among the bright young centers in the game. Nobody has more experience than Jake Matthews, and Matthew Bergeron was a bright spot for the team as a rookie a year ago. On top of that, they’ve all spent significant time playing with each other. Continuity cannot be understated when discussing the big uglies up front.
The Falcons feature one of the most explosive running backs in football. Kirk Cousins doesn’t necessarily need a dominant run game to be successful, but it is going to make his life a helluva lot easier, and it could also help take some pressure off the defense. It will be difficult for opposing teams to rack up points if they don’t have the ball.
The return of Kyle Pitts
When looking at the Falcons offense, there aren’t too many unknowns. Drake London is a budding superstar at wide receiver. The same can be said about Bijan Robinson, and I just talked about the potential of Atlanta’s offensive line. To me, the X-Factor when discussing the ceiling of the Falcons offense is Kyle Pitts.
As a rookie, Pitts caught for over 1,000 yards and nearly broke Mike Ditka‘s receiving yards record for a rookie tight end. It took just one year for him to be heralded as the league’s next elite tight end. However, injuries and abysmal quarterback play led to inconsistencies over the last two seasons. One of those is fixed with Kirk Cousins replacing Desmond Ridder, and everything points to Kyle Pitts being healthy entering his fourth season. If that’s the case, it’s a recipe for the Falcons tight end to re-introduce himself to the league again as one of the premier tight ends in the sport. That’s the kind of development that can take the Falcons offense from really good to unstoppable.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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