It was a bad idea in the moment when it happened. When it became apparent that Raheem Morris was going to leave Sean McVay's Los Angeles Rams staff to come take over the Atlanta Falcons, I loved one coordinator hire and hated the other. Zac Robinson is well on his way to being a future head coach one day. As for Jimmy Lake, he was almost as disastrous as he was once leading Washington.
Morris leaned too hard on Lake as his defensive coordinator last year, and it largely cost the Falcons their chance at a playoff berth. Yes, Kirk Cousins stunk down the stretch, but it was the defense that let the team down in the end. The secondary was good before unraveling. While the pass rush eventually improved, it was at rock bottom to start the year. The linebacking corps was pedestrian.
So when I took a look at the Falcons' depth chart heading into training camp, I noticed two Washington guys with strong ties to Lake listed as third stringers. I am talking about defensive back Kevin King and second-year pro edge rusher Bralen Trice. Both have had to deal with a ton of injuries before, but it seems as though the Falcons are move heavily invested in other players ahead of them.
While I expect for Trice to make the team this year, nothing will be handed to King this time around.
What Kevin King and Bralen Trice must do to make the Atlanta Falcons
To be fair, I still think highly of Trice as a prospect. He missed all of last season with a knee injury suffered in Atlanta's first preseason game vs. Miami. Trice was a huge part of the Washington Huskies' run to the College Football Playoff National Championship under Kalen DeBoer two years ago. He was college teammates with Michael Penix Jr., but briefly played for Lake in Seattle, too.
Unless he is physically shot, Trice will make this team. However, I see him buried behind rookie Jalon Walker and fourth-year pro Arnold Ebiketie on one of the Falcons' two starting outside linebacker spots. The other side has Leonard Floyd showing rookie James Pearce Jr. the ropes with fourth-year pro DeAngelo Malone at a distant third. To me, Trice is every bit boom or bust, but I remain optimistic.
As for King, I did think it was cool that he was able to somewhat salvage his once-promising NFL career with Green Bay in Atlanta. He missed the two previous seasons before playing a backup role for the 2024 Falcons. Unfortunately for him, he is slotted in as the No. 3 strong safety. This is Jessie Bates III's job and no one else's. DeMarcco Hellams had a promising rookie year before missing 2024.
In the end, King's roster spot is more in the balances than Trice's. That being said, Trice has effectively been replaced twice over with rookies Pearce and Walker coming in from the SEC. I look at Floyd being the replacement for Matthew Judon out on the edge, with Jordan Fuller effectively replacing Justin Simmons at strong safety. All I know is the Atlanta defense has to be much improved.
For now, we have all training camp and the preseason to see how the Falcons' roster will shake out.