The Falcons preseason is over. That means final roster cuts are right around the corner. By Tuesday evening, we will know the 53 players who will be running out of the tunnel at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Week 1 against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a quiet preseason, one veteran at a key position fell victim to the first round of cuts.
Fox’s Quiet Preseason Led to Surprising Cut
Last season, the Falcons struggled through yet another lackluster season from their pass rush. Atlanta got off to an abysmally slow start, registering just 10 total sacks through their first 11 games.
Even after recording three-plus sacks in each of the next five games, the Falcons finished with a total of 31 sacks. That was good for 31st in the league, just ahead of the New England Patriots.
After releasing veteran Grady Jarrett, the Falcons decided to bring in veteran defensive tackle Morgan Fox to take his place. Unfortunately, Fox didn’t make it onto the 53-man roster.
Fox didn’t play during the first preseason game, but then recorded just four total tackles across the final two weeks. As far as his impact on the field, he didn’t make many waves with his play. But, it’s still somewhat surprising that the Falcons decided to cut ties with the veteran given their lack of depth.
Beyond David Onyemata, the Falcons have two second-year defensive linemen with a severe lack of experience. Ruke Orhorhoro played 148 defensive snaps across eight games. But, Brandon Dorlus played just 19 total defensive snaps across two games.
Dorlus has shown some flashes as a utility piece along the interior during the preseason. But, Atlanta is very much banking on the development of their young defensive line. If things don’t go according to plan, they could regret cutting Morgan Fox.
Falcons Signing of Fox Among First Moves this Offseason
Even after a flurry of sacks during Weeks 14 through 17, the Falcons fell flat during the season finale. They didn’t even record a quarterback hit against Bryce Young in an overtime loss to the Panthers.
Grady Jarrett recovered nicely from the torn ACL that ended his 2023 campaign, but he lacked the explosiveness to consistently get to the quarterback. As an undersized defensive tackle, he’s always relied on his quickness and ability to beat linemen off the snap. So, after an ACL injury, that quickness faded a bit, forcing him to have to beat them straight-up more often.
In order to make up for the loss of Jarrett, the Falcons signed veterans Leonard Floyd and Morgan Fox on back-to-back days. But, only one of them made it through the preseason.
Unfortunately, Atlanta will be relying on Leonard Floyd‘s resurgence. While I don’t doubt that he can raise the floor of the pass rush, he flamed out toward the end of 2024. He didn’t record a single sack or quarterback hit across the final four games.
If the Falcons’ revamped pass rush is going to be meaningfully better this year, Week 1 will hopefully be a confidence-builder. While Jalon Walker battled through an injury, head coach Raheem Morris told reporters that he’s “really pleased” with James Pearce Jr.‘s progress.
Both sat out the final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, but will be ready to go for a divisional matchup in Week 1.
When it comes to the start of the regular season, the Falcons may benefit the most from the Buccaneers’ loss of LT Tristan Wirfs. Wirfs sat out all of the preseason following knee surgery and does not appear to be ready for Week 1.
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