During the Falcons head coaching search, the selling points of Atlanta to candidates were clear.
Terry Fontenot had accumulated many talents on the offensive side of the ball. Arthur Blank would be willing to write a check for any player or any asset necessary to win football games. The NFC South is arguably the worst in the NFL, and the club had the resources — draft capital and cap space — to build out the roster.
There were downsides, though. The Falcons didn’t have a quarterback, and the defense could still use some bolstering. When Blank and Fontenot landed on Raheem Morris, it was made clear the primary objective of the offseason would figuring out the signal caller position.
Eventually, the Falcons inked Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney to free agent deals, filling the roster’s two biggest holes. However, the defense still has two glaring weaknesses at cornerback and edge.
The defense isn’t bare. There is talent. Along the trenches, Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata are a menacing duo, but the backend may be where the best talent resides.
Two All-Pro’s in A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates will anchor the Falcons secondary, and Raheem Morris couldn’t be more excited to coach the pair of defensive back stars.
Terrell is actually familiar with Morris. The pair spent the 2020 campaign in Atlanta, Terrell’s rookie season and Morris’ final year. The Falcons fired Dan Quinn five games into that season, which is when Morris took over as the interim head coach.
The hope is the Falcons will add another starting-caliber cornerback to the team, but if not, Morris and Jimmy Lake will depend quite heavily on A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates III.
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