Raheem Morris Speaks out on Brandon Dorlus, Falcons Depth Chart

Atlanta Falcons former fourth-round pick Brandon Dorlus spent most of his rookie season as a healthy scratch. Dorlus played in just two games last year.

In those two contests, he lined up for only 19 defensive snaps. Dorlus could play more than that in the first half during the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Dorlus turned heads with his performance during training camp and the preseason. Then he sent a bit of a shockwave through the Falcons community with a first-team defensive line spot on the Atlanta depth chart to open the regular season.

According to the team's online depth chart, Dorlus will start next to fellow defensive lineman David Onyemata. Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie will start as edge rushers along the ends of the defensive line in the team's base defense.

When addressing Dorlus' starting status, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walked a bit of a tight rope Wednesday. While he stressed the defensive line's placement on the team's depth chart holds little value, Morris also raved about the improvement the 24-year-old has shown in recent weeks.

“I really don't care about depth charts, to be honest. But, Dorlus has done a phenomenal job, and there are certain packages that he will get to start in," Morris said. "He's been outstanding all year. He's been outstanding all camp. He's done a really good job. All those guys, like we've talked about probably throughout the whole process, is how much those guys are going to roll up front.

"You'll see all those guys in starting roles in some form or some fashion. But, he's done a great job in some of the sets that we're talking about and some of the things that we're going to call up and be able to put up there in the first number of weeks."

The Falcons drafted Dorlus at No. 109 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was the third of three defensive linemen the organization selected after choosing quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall.

If Dorlus does start and plays a significant role for the Falcons this season, he will likely have more playing time than either of his defensive line draft classmates -- Ruke Orhorhoro or Bralen Trice.

Falcons fans will have to see how accurate the depth chart is. Morris suggested there will be some maneuvering with it throughout the season. But entering Week 1, Orhorhoro is listed as a Falcons second-team defensive lineman behind Dorlus.

Trice will open the 2025 season on injured reserve.

At Oregon in college, Dorlus posted 12 sacks and 28 tackles for loss with 14 pass defenses in 58 games. He posted five sacks, seven tackles for loss and nine pass defenses as a senior in 2023.