The Falcons didn’t just trim their edge-rusher group on the way to their initial 53-man roster - they basically telegraphed where Brandon Dorlus fits in their plans.
Atlanta kept only three true edge rushers: Za'Darius Smith, Samson Ebukam, and Cameron Thomas. Bralen Trice and Azeez Ojulari were released, leaving the room thinner than expected and making it hard to ignore what the front office and coaching staff are signaling about Dorlus.
All offseason, there has been chatter that the Falcons might be shifting the 2024 fourth-round pick again. Dorlus entered the league as an edge rusher, was moved inside after Atlanta drafted him, and then got pushed back outside when Jalon Walker went down.
At first, that looked like a camp experiment. Now it looks a lot more intentional.
The logic is pretty clear: if Atlanta had kept five edge rushers, it would have pointed toward Jeff Ulbrich and Nate Ollie wanting Dorlus to stay on the interior. Instead, the Falcons chose a leaner setup at the position, and that says plenty.
That choice matters even more because Dorlus just delivered a breakout season. He finished second on the Falcons with 8.5 sacks in 2025, behind only James Pearce Jr., who had 10.5. With Pearce set to be suspended for the first eight games of the season, Atlanta needs pass rush wherever it can find it.
Even after bringing in Jared Ivey, the Falcons still don’t look deep enough off the edge. Zach Harrison was waived, which only adds to the sense that the answer may already be on the roster. Dorlus appears to be part of that answer, and the roster construction points strongly toward him getting work outside.
There’s also the addition of former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, who arrives as Atlanta’s new interior pass-rushing specialist. His ability to generate pressure gives Ollie another option inside and makes it easier to use Dorlus as the cleanup presence next to him.
Taken together, the Dexter trade and the way the roster was built suggest the Falcons have a specific plan for Dorlus going into the season. They only rostered 13 defensive backs, but just three edge rushers, which tells you this wasn’t random. Either they have more moves coming, or they believe someone already on the roster can handle the job.
Right now, it feels more like the Falcons are betting on Dorlus.
What started as a temporary answer in a moment of need has turned into something much more deliberate. With Walker and Pearce unavailable, the Oregon product is going to be central to what Atlanta does up front, no matter where he lines up.
That fits with how this new regime talks about players who can move around. Dorlus has the inside-out versatility they value, and with the defensive tackle group looking stronger than the edge room, the Falcons seem ready to use it.
In Other News...
Tua Just Added More Heat To Atlantas Unsettled QB Battle
Tua Tagovailoas arrival only added another layer to an already unsettled Falcons quarterback picture. After being released by the Dolphins, he signed a one-year deal in Atlanta and quickly became part of a crowded preseason competition that had the team carrying four quarterbacks, a sign that the job was not close to being settled.
Michael Penix Jr. is still viewed as the frontrunner for the Week 1 role, but Tuas inconsistent preseason showing left the door open without giving Atlanta much clarity. The question now is less about whether he can push his way into the mix and more about how much his path depends on Penix staying healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Quarterback Decision Comes With A Game-Day Roster Cost
Several NFL teams came out of cutdown day with more than the usual quarterback room intact, a sign that clubs are treating the position less like a depth chart and more like a long-term insurance policy. The Falcons are part of that group, joining teams such as the Vikings, Steelers, Eagles and Browns in keeping extra arms around after roster trimming, a move that can help protect a team if injury or inconsistency hits early in the season.
The tradeoff is straightforward, and it matters on game day: carrying an extra quarterback takes up one of the precious spots on a 53-man roster. For Atlanta, that means the decision is not only about developing a young passer or preserving flexibility, but also about what gets squeezed out elsewhere when the Falcons need to dress for Sundays. The league keeps showing that teams are willing to live with that cost, but it also leaves open how much patience each club will have once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Roster Criticism Is Missing One Key Part Of This Move
The Falcons decision to bring in Wanya Morris has already drawn some second-guessing, but the move is easier to understand when viewed through the lens of depth and cost control. Atlanta sent a 2027 sixth-round pick swap to the Chiefs for the offensive tackle, a modest price for a player the organization clearly wanted to examine more closely after Kansas City moved on from him during final roster cuts.
Morriss path since then has only sharpened the debate, with injury and competition helping push him off the Chiefs roster before he landed on the Cowboys practice squad. Still, the draft-pick criticism around the Falcons may be missing a key part of the equation: the team is expected to make up that lost selection through compensatory picks tied to recent player departures, which changes the real cost of taking the swing. [Read more 🡒]