There may not have been a team that has made more headlines for their offseason moves than the Atlanta Falcons. They've had everything from Matt Ryan retiring with the team to tampering penalties to signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal (which led to part of those penalties) to then following that up by drafting Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. Now all that awaits is the kickoff to the 2024 season.
Penix will be just one of the Falcons' eight draft picks to join the team in 2024, along with 10 undrafted free agents. The Falcons are hoping that most of these players will be able to make an impact for the team in the upcoming season. But maybe some will be better than others.
With every season comes rookies who make a splash, making an immediate impact on the team that does more than just help the team perform but also pushes the veterans on the team. It happens on every NFL team. It will be the same for the Falcons this year. The Falcons have at least three players that will challenge some of the veterans on this year's team. And yes, the Falcons' first-round pick is one of them.
Michael Penix Jr. will challenge Kirk Cousins
Competition is usually a good thing in sports, and hopefully, that's the case here with Penix and Cousins. Cousins, at 35, has proven himself as a reliable veteran quarterback in the league, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have something to prove. Cousins has yet to reach any true success in the postseason in his career, not to mention in primetime games. Plus, he has to prove he has overcome his Achilles tendon injury from last season.
Penix, meanwhile, comes into the league as a seasoned college quarterback at the age of 24 with almost 50 games under his belt. If Cousins even remotely starts to struggle, the pressure will be on him for sure externally, but maybe even internally if the noise gets too loud and the Falcons don't win enough games to begin the season.
Casey Washington will challenge Rondale Moore for WR3
The Falcons stuck mostly to drafting defense during the 2024 NFL Draft, but they did draft Illinois wide receiver Casey Washington in the sixth round at No. 187 overall. Washington was the second-leading receiver for the Fighting Illini in 2023 with 49 receptions for 670 yards and four touchdowns. That was a career year for the receiver, whose numbers jumped exponentially.
Washington wasn't the only receiver that Atlanta brought in this offseason, though. Before the draft, the Falcons went out and signed free agent Darnell Mooney and traded with the Arizona Cardinals for Rondale Moore. If there's someone that Washington could pose a challenge to, it would be Moore. The former Cardinals receiver will be entering his fourth year in the league and has as many touchdowns in his career.
“He's been killing it out there,” Falcons' wide receiver Drake London said about Washington, per Falcon Report. “He's been doing his job. Fitting in really, really well.”
Brandon Dorlus will challenge David Onyemata at the defensive tackle position
One of the more celebrated draft picks for the Falcons during the 2024 NFL Draft was fourth-round selection Brandon Dorlus out of Oregon. He comes in automatically as a need for a team that has sorely lacked in pass rush efficiency over the last couple of years. Last year with the Ducks, he had four sacks, seven quarterback hits, and 35 hurries with a pass rush win rate of 10.5 percent and true pass set rush grade of 82.1, per Pro Football Focus.
Dorlus now will join not only fellow rookie defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro but also veterans Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata. It's unlikely that Jarrett will get much of a challenge from Dorlus, at least for now, even though he will be coming off an ACL injury. But Dorlus could give Onyemata, who is entering his ninth season in the league, a run for his money.
While at Oregon, Dorlus was seen playing all over the defensive line. So his versatility is going to be a huge asset for the Falcons, where he could push any veteran on the defensive front, including also veteran Eddie Goldman, who came out of retirement to join the Falcons in 2024.
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