Can Raheem Morris Turn Things Around for the Falcons in Year Two?

Atlanta Falcons fans hoping for a change in leadership this offseason are going to be disappointed. The team has made it clear they are moving forward with GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris. At least with Morris, you have the understanding the head coach was only in his first season with the Falcons. Yes, this doesn't absolve the obvious coaching mistakes or the failure to turn to Penix sooner. Still, it is consistent for Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank to give his hires time to fix their mistakes.

The case for why Terry Fontenot is staying is a bit more difficult to make. You could look at the decisions on Kirk Cousins, Kyle Pitts, or any of Fontenot's draft classes as easy cases the GM should have been fired already. Why Atlanta is moving forward with a front office that doesn't appear to do anything at a high level is a bit confounding. Yet there is a level of hope based on Zac Robinson's offense and Raheem Morris still having the faith of the locker room.

There is hope with a franchise quarterback and a better DC Raheem Morris can turn things around in Atlanta

Falcons fans are forced to search for the bright side of what is a consistently bad situation for the franchise. Not since Matt Ryan was in his prime has the team had any reason to believe they could contend for anything of note. That is now changing with an elite offensive line and the trio of Penix, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson emerging.

The good news for Morris is the mistakes he is making are easily fixable with the right hires. Bringing in a veteran DC like Steve Wilks or Robert Saleh would be more than enough to believe the defense is going to take a step forward. Whether it is hiring a consultant to help manage the time or Morris learning better time management both of the team's biggest issues are fixable.

In no way does this absolve Morris of his mistakes or costing the Falcons the 2024 season. A veteran coach with as much experience as Raheem has had should know far better. Still, part of what has made Morris a great coach is his loyalty and love for his players. What has served Morris so well throughout his career came back to hurt the head coach as he continued to defend Kirk Cousins.

The writing was on the wall for far too long and still Morris refused to make the change. The biggest issues with the head coach were loyalty to Cousins, a poor defensive hire, bad time management, and poor in-game adjustments. While the last one is the most concerning all of the remaining three are easy fixes.

Hire a veteran DC you can trust to run the defense and focus your full attention on better managing the time and making in-game adjustments. These improvements along with the emergence of Michael Penix Jr. does very much open up the possibility Morris could still help end Atlanta's playoff drought.