Who's Returning Kicks for Atlanta Falcons? Raheem Morris Breaks Down Competition

Much has been made of the Atlanta Falcons defensive failings in 2024. Giving up 30 or more points in the four of the final seven games of the season helped take the spotlight off a unit that was equally poor, if not worse: Special Teams.

The Falcons finished 31st in field goal percentage at 70.7%, but their struggles went beyond an injured Younghoe Koo struggling in the second half. Teams only missed one field goal against the Falcons. Opponents went 31 of 32 for 96.9%, the highest in the NFL.

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Atlanta was 29th in net yards per punt and tied with the Buccaneers for fewest punts inside the opposition 20-yard line (14th). Teams averaged 13.9 yards per punt return (tied for last), and 27.3 yards per kickoff return (20th).

They weren't much better when receiving the ball. The Falcons averaged 9.5 yards per punt return (19th) and 26.4 yards per kickoff return (24th).

A healthy Koo competing with Lenny Krieg should solve much of the kicking issues, but the return jobs are up for grabs. Avery Williams led the NFL in yards per punt return in 2022, but he tore an ACL prior to the 2023 season and wasn't the same player in 2024. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent and will have a battle to make their 53-man roster.

Head coach Raheem Morris weighed in this week on the return competition which features a blend of new faces and veterans.

"We went out and got [Jamal] Agnew this offseason," Morris said. "We got a chance to talk to him. Marquice [Williams] does a great job of beating down my door and talking about the competition and revving it up across the board, on special teams in general. But to get Agnew in here, and we know his history, what he's been able to do, and to watch him get back to where he's going to be and to give him an opportunity to go do some of those things really excites me."

Agnew was originally a fifth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was a Pro Bowl return man in 2022 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He averaged 26.1 yards per kickoff return in 2023 before the rule changes opened up more space.

The Falcons signed Ray-Ray McCloud prior to the 2024 season. He has made a career as a special-teams standout, but he became a valuable member of the offense as a slot receiver with a career-high 686 receiving yards, nearly doubling his total from his previous six seasons. He didn't return punts for the first season in his career, and he had just 14 kickoff returns.

With Kyle Pitts possibly taking more of his snaps at slot receiver, McCloud could be used more on special teams.

"Knowing you have a guy like Ray-Ray [McCloud], knowing you have guys in here like Mike Hughes, knowing you have guys in here who have done some really good things for us, whether it be Natrone Brooks who has done some good things in the return game for us, that can give us a little bit of juice, definitely gives you a nice sense of, ‘I can't wait to see it.’"

Morris acknowledged there's still a learning process when it comes to the return game. The NFL has moved touchbacks to the 35-yard line in hopes of generating more returns.

"Obviously, let's not kid ourselves, the kickoff return game is still very new to everybody. We went through it a year last year. It still looks weird to most of us, and we're working through that," said Morris. "So, we’ve got a chance to see that and what Agnew thinks about it, and what it looks like for him and some of the other guys as well, and then obviously the punt return game, just trying to get a first down."

With the promise of an explosive offense, led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Morris hints that ball security may be his No. 1 priority from the return game.

We’ve got a bunch of guys, I feel like, are capable of doing that for us while possessing the football and maintaining the possession for us to make sure we can ensure our offense gets a chance to go out there and be productive,” Morris said.