ESPN Reveals Non-Starter to Know on Atlanta Falcons

The dust has finally settled after another NFL offseason that saw the typical player movement throughout the league. Now that Atlanta Falcons Training Camp is upon us and rosters are relatively set when it comes to new additions, ESPN analysts Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz, and Seth Walder took the liberty of ranking all 32 rosters. 

Consideration included their perceived talent, the team production, and the age of each specific unit. In addition to that, ESPN included who they feel is the “non-starter to know” for every team in their ranking ahead of the 2025 season. 

For the Atlanta Falcons, who come in as the 26th-overall unit in the league for this ranking, Schatz identified defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro as his choice. 

“Defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro,” Schatz wrote on ESPN. “The Falcons traded up to take Orhorhoro in the second round of the 2024 draft, but injuries limited him to eight games in his rookie season, and he's not penciled in to start in Year 2.

“Draftniks thought he was a quick, quality bull rusher who could also be stout against the run. Atlanta needs to be better on the interior after finishing 26th in run stop win rate last season, and a step forward from Orhorhoro -- enough to challenge Morgan Fox and Ta'Quon Graham for a starting spot -- would be a big help.”

The versatile defensive lineman will be looked to take on a much larger role in the team’s defense this season, especially in the wake of the departure of veteran (and fellow Clemson Tiger) Grady Jarrett. Orhorhoro played sparingly as a rookie, but flashed his potential in the second half of the season despite being hit with an ankle injury that sidelined him for five weeks. 

"It was definitely hard, man," Orhorhoro told Atlanta Falcons on SI during minicamp earlier in the spring. "As a competitor, you want to play every single snap in a game. But it's the nature of the beast. Sometimes things like that happen. It's about how you respond to it -- not what happened, but how you respond to it."

Orhorhoro did not let the brief intermission to his rookie season set him back. He returned for the Falcons’ final four games and played 85 defensive snaps as opposed to the 63 he played before his injury. Despite the limited action, the interior defender finished with 11 tackles and one for a loss. 

If Orhorhoro unexpectedly opens the season as a non-starter, the Falcons are hoping that doesn’t last long.

Atlanta is expecting Orhorhoro to take a year two leap in 2025, but little will be known about whether he is ready for such a test until the team takes the field this summer at Flowery Branch. The team opted to retain rotational pieces in Ta’Quon Graham and Kentavius Street, but the rest of the unit remains unchanged aside from releasing Jarrett. 

Elsewhere in the NFC South, Schatz has this to say about the ‘non-starter to know” for the Falcons’ competition inside the division: 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – “Linebacker SirVocea Dennis. The third-year man has impressed in OTAs despite coming off shoulder surgery and playing only four games last season. His positives include play recognition and range in pass coverage, as he was a defensive back in high school."

"He gets his hands on a lot of balls and I want to say [he has had] a very good four days," Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said after OTAs. Don't be surprised if Dennis ends up starting ahead of free agent addition Anthony Walker Jr. at middle linebacker.”

Carolina Panthers – “Jalen Coker. The UDFA didn't make the Panthers' roster until late September, but he finished the season ranked 19th among qualifying wide receivers in the ESPN Receiver Tracking Metrics and had an 83-yard touchdown against the Cowboys in December. "

New Orleans Saints – “Running back Kendre Miller. Miller was well-regarded for his size-speed combination when the Saints took him in the third round of the 2023 draft. Injuries have kept him off the field for much of the past two seasons."