Raheem Morris gives Falcons fans an indication the most necessary change is coming

After a brilliant 6-3 start, the Atlanta Falcons finished the second half of the season on a 2-6 skid to finish Raheem Morris' first year on the job at 8-9. Atlanta had the talent to win the NFC South and make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. However, poor in-game execution and lousy coaching on the defensive side of the ball let them down. Morris is safe, as is general manager Terry Fontenot.

However, there is a chance one big change could still be coming to the Falcons franchise this offseason. That would be Morris moving on from his defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake after only one season. The defense could not generate a pass rush in the first half of the year. Poor tackling and questionable secondary breakdowns culminated in the Falcons blowing yet another massive lead.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ($) mentioned the overall likelihood of the Falcons moving on from their defensive coordinator in his latest collection of notes. Defense is Morris' side of the ball, having brought Lake and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson with him over from the Los Angeles Rams last offseason. Lake was a fine defensive coordinator in college at Washington, but it has not been the same since.

Plus, there are several other defensive coordinator candidates out there to be had for the Falcons.

Raheem Morris may still potentially move on from Jimmy Lake as his DC

There are two defensive minds with Atlanta connections who are available. Ryan Nielsen is out of a job in Jacksonville after Doug Pederson was let go. The same thing probably applies to New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. Nielsen has been in Atlanta more recently than Ulbrich, but the latter was Morris' defensive coordinator when he was promoted to the Falcons' interim back in 2020.

Other defensive coordinators to be had include Lou Anarumo, Gus Bradley, Matt Eberflus and Robert Saleh. All but Anarumo have NFL head-coaching experience, as well as a proven track record of excellence as defensive coordinators in this league. Another defensive mind to be had is Antonio Pierce, who needs a job after being let go in Las Vegas and cannot go back to college for a while...

Overall, the Falcons need to do something, anything to show their increasingly tired and fractured fanbase that the same old nonsense is no longer tolerable. That may be an impossibility with Arthur Blank still owning the team, but all I know is I hated the Jimmy Lake hire as soon as it happened. At the end of the day, his side of the ball was not good enough to allow this team to play in the postseason.

Ultimately, 2025 was always going to be the year where it happens or not for the Falcons in their current competitive life cycle. We saw the 1997 and 2015 Falcons be close but no cigar before breaking through in 1998 and 2016. I am not saying that the 2025 team should be Super Bowl or bust. However, anything short of a playoff berth should not be tolerated. 2017 feels like a lifetime ago...

Lake should be an easy scapegoat for the Falcons' failures, so why has he not been let go already?