Falcons’ Raheem Morris ready to begin season with revamped roster
FLOWERY BRANCH — Raheem Morris is set to enter his second season as the head coach of the Falcons, and he and his team are facing several pressing issues as they prepare to face the Buccaneers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
With their top two right tackles on injured reserve, the Falcons are set to start Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle. He’ll have a marquee matchup against Bucs outside linebacker Haason Reddick, a two-time Pro Bowler.
“Wilkinson is awesome,” Morris said Monday. “Wilkinson has been here for a year. He was here before that with Led (Dwayne Ledford), same coaching staff, same guys in that (group). So, a lot of those things remain consistent.”
Wilkinson has carved a nice career after he was bypassed in the draft out of Massachusetts. He’s played in 79 games and made 45 starts while playing for four teams, including his second stint with the Falcons. He started nine games for the team at left guard in 2022.
“I feel really good about Wilkinson going out there and being part of what we do and how we do it and really fitting in at a high level,” Morris said. “So, those guys have got a lot of familiarity, a lot of comfort with Wilkinson. He has a lot of comfort with us, and we feel really good about him fitting in to that (outside zone) scheme.”
Replacing Kaleb McGary’s run blocking is the major concern.
“He’ll go out there and give us his best efforts and do everything he can to help us win this football game,” Morris said.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is set to start his first season opener in the NFL. Wilkinson will be responsible for Penix’s blindside in passing situations. Morris seemed to downplay the importance of the blindside spot because the offense plays out of the pistol and shotgun formations.
“I think Michael just has a lot of confidence in his guys up front, and I think that’s really pushed through the guys, the leadership up front,” Morris said. “Two captains up there in Chris Lindstrom and Jake Matthews, and you’ve got (Matthew) Bergeron up there.”
The Falcons believe Penix will be fine and that Wilkinson will hold up against the Bucs.
“You’ve got some really confident coaches, and that’s important, and that’s a part of it,” Morris said. “So, we feel good about it. Mike feels great about it. He’s one of the most confident (young men) you’ve probably been around.”
While the right tackle situation changed in training camp, the biggest issue over the offseason was revamping the defense after hiring Jeff Ulbrich as the new defensive coordinator.
Inside linebackers Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo are key to the operation of the defense. Elliss, a newly minted captain, likely will be the signal-caller. Deablo signed in free agency and had a strong training camp.
“We just have to communicate; we’ll be fine,” Deablo said.
The major project was improving the pass rush. The Falcons signed former Georgia standout Leonard Floyd in free agency and drafted Jalon Walker (another former Bulldog) and James Pearce Jr. in the first round to improve the anemic pass rush.
Floyd, who has 66.5 career sacks, is expected to lead the charge.
“We can’t know until it’s time to get after the quarterback,” Floyd said. “It’s time to show, now. … We can talk about it all day. Now, it’s action.”
Floyd believes they are ready to go.
“But I don’t want to jinx it,” Floyd said. “We just have to let it play out. We have go to practice on Wednesday, first, continue our game plan for the (Bucs).”
Floyd, who is set to enter his 10th season in the league, is fine with being the veteran leader.
“I hope so, but I lead by example,” Floyd said. “I have got to go out and just play.”
Floyd is high on both of the rookie first-round picks.
“I think they are starting to become pros, day by day,” Floyd said.
In addition to the rookies Walker and Pearce, third-round pick Xavier Watts is set to start at safety alongside Jessie Bates III. Billy Bowman Jr., a fourth-round pick, could start at nickel back based on Tampa Bay’s opening formation.
“I don’t think it feels weird from a coaching standpoint,” Morris said of four rookies potentially starting. “I could see it being a little different for players being out there in the huddle with guys. Who’s the calming voice out there, and those guys kind of have that.”
Morris has been pleased with their progress over the offseason.
“You definitely have your eyes on your young people, and not because you’re worried about them doing something wrong,” Morris said. “It’s just you want to be able to give them immediate feedback whenever they come off the grass, and hopefully they can speak the same language as you and make sure all the things are going the right way.”
The Falcons have flipped 19 spots from the 53-man roster from last season’s opener, or 35.8% of the roster.
The new players are Jamal Agnew, Bowman, Natrone Brooks, Nathan Carter, Deablo, Mike Ford Jr., Feleipe Franks, Jordan Fuller, DeMarcco Hellams (he spent last season on IR), Michael Jerrell, LaCale London, Jack Nelson, Pearce, Teagan Quitoriano, David Sills V, Walker, Watts, Wilkinson and Josh Woods.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
