Biggest offseason personnel priorities for Raheem Morris

While it’s evident what the number one objective is in Atlanta for 2024, they have several areas on the roster that need to be injected with new talent.

There usually isn’t enormous pressure on a new head coach. They are expected to receive time to go through some growing pains to instill their philosophy into building a winning culture. Even if the new coach has previous head coaching experience, expectations are normally tempered, given the state of a franchise making a head coaching change. That doesn’t apply to Raheem Morris.

He knows expectations are high in Atlanta. That was clear when he gave his thoughts about the state of the quarterback position at the NFL Combine. Morris’ experience with the franchise, handling a variety of roles from 2015 to 2020, makes this an even more unique situation. He clearly left a great impression during his time in Atlanta with his leadership and versatility. What he accomplished in Los Angeles as the defensive coordinator was the final step to regaining his place as an NFL head coach.

As talented as the Falcons’ roster appears on paper, there are gaping holes when assessing them on both sides of the ball. A late season collapse doesn’t solely happen because of abysmal quarterback play. The team fell short in certain areas that left them incapable of finding any sort of efficient offensive consistency and above-average defensive sustainability. Here are four of the primary things Morris must do this offseason to get the Falcons back to the top of the NFC South.

A capable quarterback by any means

Every off-season Falcons discussion can only start by analyzing what can they do at the most valuable position in sports. The approach can only gain importance after last year’s debacle of instilling full belief in Desmond Ridder and signing the wrong veteran backup option in Taylor Heinicke. Having three options to significantly upgrade at quarterback creates exciting possibilities. As Morris said recently, the player needs to be an ideal fit beyond what Zac Robinson likes to do schematically.

What the Falcons can’t afford to do is settle for signing a quarterback with limited upside. They need to go beyond a constrained quarterback who struggles to play from behind. Signing Russell Wilson or Ryan Tannehill would be incredibly underwhelming while likely presenting a minimal upgrade at best in the process. A capable quarterback can’t leave the passing game coping with significant restrictions because of the quarterback’s erratic arm, poor decision-making, and inability to stay composed when facing pressure.

If they decide not to trade up in the draft or select a quarterback with the eighth pick, the best route is signing Kirk Cousins or trading for Justin Fields. Fields provides the most potential of the available quarterbacks with his playmaking abilities and arm strength. Despite coming off a torn Achilles, Cousins has recently played some of the best football of his career. His accuracy and quick release would instantly elevate the offense.

Both players come with risk, as Fields’ sometimes shaky processing and propensity to hold onto the ball for too long and taking unnecessary sacks is problematic. Cousins’ lack of mobility and tendency to struggle facing pressure is concerning for a team lacking crisp route-runners and explosive weapons at wide receiver. That said, either quarterback would be a massive upgrade, putting them in a prime position to be a playoff team.

Capitalizing on an ultra-talented edge rusher market

It was understandable why the Falcons decided to make significant signings at safety, defensive tackle, and linebacker instead of edge rusher last year. The top-level talent simply wasn’t there. The market was so depleted that I listed Charles Omenihu and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo as the best potential signings. Those players lacked the resume that would make an organization feel confident they can be depended on their primary edge rusher.

There are plenty of pending free agents that would fit the status of being a top edge rusher. Although Josh Allen and Brian Burns will likely receive the franchise tag, that shouldn’t discourage the front office from heavily pursuing one of the top free agent edge rushers. Falcon fans have envisioned Danielle Hunter causing havoc off the edge for years.

As stellar as Hunter has been in his career, it wouldn’t be a massive letdown if they failed to sign him. Bryce Huff and Jonathan Greenard possess tremendous get-off and violent hand usage off the edge. Both players are entering their prime, coming off outstanding seasons.

Fontenot proved last season the front office can sign a top-tier free agent at a position of critical need. Dialing in on Jessie Bates was one of the best decisions the Falcons have made in the past decade. After deciding on the direction the team will take at quarterback, the biggest offseason objective should shift towards locking in to sign one of the top edge rushers. Morris is familiar with how much the Falcons have been lacking in that position for years. A player like Hunter, Huff, or Greenard could transform the defense into one of the better units in the NFL.

Add credible wide receivers

Besides mishandling the quarterback position, the biggest personnel indictment from Smith and Fontenot last season was how much they disregarded the value of wide receivers. Although the offense was built on the running game and heavy formations, successful teams need to have playmakers at wide receiver (unless you have one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks, tight ends, and coaches).

The Falcons treated the position as an afterthought with signings like Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller. Despite coming off a career year in Las Vegas, Hollins shouldn’t have been counted on as a surefire number-two wide receiver. That was proven when his snaps were significantly reduced by the end of the season.

No matter how your scheme is structured, a plan with genuine receiving options must be there when playing from behind. Running empty sets with Bijan Robinson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Kyle Pitts, and Jonnu Smith as four of the five receiving options made the passing game predictable and condensed. No offense should have only one wide receiver on the field when operating under empty sets consistently. It left Drake London in a demanding position to not only be the explosive playmaker but also make stunning acrobatic catches when Ridder attempted to push the ball downfield.

The Falcons will be making a significant transition offensively under Robinson. At one point last season, the Rams were running 11 personnel at 93.5% of their offensive plays. It ultimately shaped their offense with a gunslinging quarterback and a wide array of playmaking wide receivers. The personnel usage is such a huge staple with McVay and his coaching staff that the great Rams reporter Jourdan Rodrigue named her podcast after it. Robinson could look to make alterations to his personnel usage and formation variance. That doesn’t mean 12 or 13 personnel will be heavily used, especially after Jonnu Smith’s release. It’s time to spread things out and stretch the field. That will require at least two new wide receivers.

Turning vision into reality in the secondary

When analyzing all three levels of the defense, the back end is where the new regime will have the best opportunity to make personnel upgrades. The defensive line will absolutely receive a new edge rusher or two, but there is still plenty of talent to utilize in the rotation. After how impressive the linebacker core was last season, it’s doubtful any notable acquisitions would be made there. That leaves the secondary as the biggest area where improvement is required.

The lack of stability at cornerback proved to be troublesome during the Falcons’ late-season collapse. The frequent rotation led to communication breakdowns and individual errors. The best secondary units know which players can be counted on to play specific roles. Even when rotating around dime and quarter packages or utilizing three-safety looks, a solidified defense needs to know its leaders and primary starters.

The other question to ponder is how Jimmy Lake’s philosophy will influence which corner gets signed, drafted, or traded for. Playing zone is fairly common within his scheme, but pre-snap disguises are used to disrupt opponents by shifting into zone-matchup coverage post-snap. Lake prides himself on being multiple within his varied scheme.

The same concern at the corner position applies to safety, where a box safety with man coverage capabilities will be needed to challenge DeMarcco Hellams to play the most alongside Jessie Bates. As much pressure is on the defensive line to be productive rushing four, the secondary needs to make strides with two All-Pro caliber players at the forefront.