Atlanta may draw from Morris’ former team to stock their defense,
With Raheem Morris arriving as the new Atlanta Falcons head coach and Jimmy Lake installed as the new defensive coordinator, this team now has a strong (if small) contingent of former Los Angeles Rams in the coaching staff. It’s only natural to wonder if they may want to take some of their former players to Atlanta with them.
Looking at the 2024 Rams free agency class, there are a handful of players who I could see being on the radar for the Falcons. These players include a couple of useful reserves on the offensive side of the ball, a pair of potential starters on defense, and a slam-dunk starting option at safety and potential starter at cornerback, if the Falcons can pry them away from Los Angeles.
There are other players across the league with ties to Morris and Lake, and we’ll cover them in another article. Here’s a look at the limited selection of Rams free agents who might make sense in Atlanta.
Starter
S Jordan Fuller
If the Falcons are hellbent on replacing the Richie Grant/DeMarcco Hellams duo instead of just adding competition for them, Morris and Lake will likely want to take a closer look at Fuller.
A 17 game starter in 2023 and 46 game starter for the Rams over four seasons, Fuller has shown himself to be a plus run defender and solid enough in coverage to at least represent an upgrade over what the Falcons were trotting out opposite Jessie Bates last season. Adding Fuller would give Morris a player he knows well from the past three seasons, a young (he’ll be 26 in 2024) option for multiple years with Bates, and another piece of an already strong run defense foundation in Atlanta. If the team is going to make any kind of sizeable swing on the back end of the defense, Fuller seems likely to be on their shortlist.
CB Akhello Witherspoon
Quite a bit hinges on what the Falcons decide to do with Clark Phillips. If he’s playing outside, there’s no need for a player like Witherspoon, who exclusively played outside in 2023 and has limited experience in the slot. If Phillips moves into the slot as a full-time starter there, replacing Dee Alford and Mike Hughes, the Falcons might mull signing Witherspoon.
A plus run defender for the position, Witherspoon is pretty stingy in coverage on a per-snap basis but does have a nasty habit of giving up scores and big plays at times. He’d be a solid, reasonably young starting option opposite A.J. Terrell if the Falcons elect to move Phillips inside full-time.
Potential starters
S John Johnson
A seasoned starter who appeared in 17 games and started eight for the Rams last year under Morris and Lake, Johnson is typically solid in coverage and contributes on special teams. If Atlanta’s looking for someone to push DeMarcco Hellams and/or Richie Grant for a starting job and serve as a capable reserve, Johnson would be a pretty strong addition to the defensive backfield. If they’re looking for a surefire starter, they likely won’t go with Johnson.
DE Jonah Williams
He’s a restricted free agent, so it’s unlikely the Rams will decide to dump him entirely. If he receives an original round tender as a former undrafted free agent, however, the Falcons could decide to snap him up.
Williams played quite a bit for Morris in 2023, consistently providing above average run defense and the occasional fine moments as a pass rusher. Atlanta would not lean on him quite that heavily in an ideal world, but having a familiar, proven player who can be useful on early downs would likely be something Morris and company would be interested in.
Reserves
TE Brycen Hopkins
One to watch as a deep reserve, Hopkins could join an unsettled tight end depth chart and compete for third tight end duties. A solid player in pass protection and decent in run blocking with sure hands in limited opportunities, Hopkins also chips in on special teams. Given that the new coaching staff has no attachment to John FitzPatrick and he and Kyle Pitts are the only players guaranteed to be under contract here, Hopkins might be a name to watch.
WR Austin Trammell
A member of the Falcons in 2021, Trammell overlapped with now-quarterbacks coach T.J. Yates when the latter was a passing game specialist that year in Atlanta. A solid returner who handled kickoffs and punts for the Rams in 2023, Trammell hasn’t shown much as a receiver outside of training camps and preseason but could be a WR5 option and fallback returner option if Avery Williams’ return to the lineup goes closely. He’s an exclusive rights free agent, but with such a small role on the Rams there’s no guarantee Los Angeles is going to bring him back.
CB Duke Shelley
I’m not certain the Falcons will pursue Shelley, given that he’s a bit redundant to Dee Alford as a smaller cornerback with slot experience and special teams value. If they want to give themselves another option there and more help on teams, however, Shelley can offer that in spades, with plenty of experience manning the nickel (and a decent enough track record there) and special teams work. Especially if the Falcons cut ties with Mike Hughes, to make additional room on the cornerback depth chart, Shelley could make sense.
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