Sad News: Atlanta Falcons lost a great match

Going into 2024, the Atlanta Falcons have been among the clubs with the most activity during the offseason. The best quarterback available, Kirk Cousins, was signed by them to a four-year contract with a $100 million guarantee, making a big impression.

In free agency, they also signed wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who will back up Drake London as his WR2. They added Pro Bowl players Matt Judon at edge and Justin Simmons at safety to cover their two major defensive vulnerabilities.

Star players like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and tight end Kyle Pitts are returning to full health, and linebacker Troy Andersen is trying to make the transition from injured to “star” status after missing the previous campaign.

In the easiest division, they still have the easiest schedule.

All of that adds up to: One more victory, said Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated.

With quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke, who was just transferred to Los Angeles for a conditional sixth-round pick, and Desmond Ridder, who was cut, moved, then re-signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad, the Atlanta Falcons won seven games last season.

Star players like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and tight end Kyle Pitts are returning to full health, and linebacker Troy Andersen is trying to make the transition from injured to “star” status after missing the previous campaign.

In the easiest division, they still have the easiest schedule.

All of that adds up to: One more victory, said Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated.

With quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke, who was just transferred to Los Angeles for a conditional sixth-round pick, and Desmond Ridder, who was cut, moved, then re-signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad, the Atlanta Falcons won seven games last season.

Morris claimed that Judon was in excellent shape when he came in Flowery Branch.

“We’ve got him already beefed up into his rep counts,” Morris stated. “We got him beefed up into full individual, but the personality of Matthew just comes out more and more every single day and he is live wire.”

Morris continued, “I’ve had a great time working with Judon,” who frequently admits to Atlanta’s offensive that he anticipated their moves but still takes the blame when he loses. Speaking clearly and loudly are only the beginning of Judon’s array of qualities.

However, Simmons’ ramp-up period to the season start is significantly longer than Judon’s due to his lack of team affiliation. Morris said that it is unclear how much Simmons plays against Pittsburgh and that it would rely on the team’s preparation over the course of the next week and a half.

Nevertheless, Morris thinks Simmons, a former star of the Denver Broncos, will be a “major contributor” to Atlanta’s defense all season long after spending two weeks with him.

Morris is happy with how he’s collaborated with Jessie Bates III and Richie Grant in the interim, and the Falcons will just let Simmons get to that point at his own pace.