Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot talk prospects, Kirk Cousins at the Combine

Atlanta’s general manager and head coach share thoughts about the draft and more with media.

The Atlanta Falcons are at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, with both Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris talking to media ahead of workouts and the like. While there were no earth-shaking revelations—there never are in these press conferences—we did learn a little more about the shape of the week, the team’s standing with Kirk Cousins, and how Morris feels about the tush push.

Read on!

The Combine whirlwind

It’s no great surprise, but the Combine is a busy time for the Falcons. Fontenot told reporters that they’ll be conducting four hours or so of prospect interviews per day, and (to the delight of no small number of fans), that they’re meeting with some prospects from the University of Georgia this week.

The team is well aware not only of the strength of the draft, but I suspect what they need from the draft. Fontenot alluded to the strength of the defensive draft—the offense is heavy on running backs and has a few intriguing top receivers, tight ends, and offensive line, but is not an elite class there—and Raheem Morris talked about how important improving the pass rush is going to be for Atlanta.

It’s fair to infer, then, that Atlanta’s Combine focus will be heavily on defense. The offense needs tweaks but not an overhaul with Michael Penix in hand, a mostly built offensive line (Drew Dalman pending), and plenty of weapons, while the defense needs an injection of talent at every level. Some of the team’s interest in prospects and interviews will leak in the coming days, too.

It’s interesting to get a number of interviews on the docket and a reminder of how much work happens this week, and all of that has to go into getting this draft right for the sake of the 2025 season, the futures of both Morris and Fontenot, and our collective happiness.

Kirk Cousins is going nowhere…for now

Jeanna Kelley put together a dedicated piece on this, but Terry Fontenot told 92.9 The Game that the team’s “stance has not changed” and that Kirk Cousins is still the backup to Michael Penix for 2025. Fontenot also indicated the team did not know about any lingering injuries for Cousins beyond the Denver game.

The team’s stance is clear: They’re going to get an offer they like or they’re going to keep Cousins, cap hit be damned. If they’re serious about keeping him and paying his upcoming roster bonus, chances are an offer will crop up at some point from a team desperate for competent quarterbacking, but the team is going to have to weather the public relations storm and possibility that an unhappy Cousins will continue to make comments that give the team headaches.

If they are serious about this, though, the advantages have been noted by many of you here in the comments. Holding on to him ensures you’re getting something for all your money, which in this case is an experienced backup, and the longer you hold him the more likely you are to get something for Cousins if the hope is (as I suspect) that a trade will materialize. The fact that Cousins has been a complete drag on this franchise overall, with the injury comments just the latest example of how his mouth complicates the picture for the Falcons, may not be enough to move them off the plan.

We don’t have to endure a quarterback controversy

The brief but turbulent post-Matt Ryan era in Atlanta was a reminder of how hard it is to wander the wilderness without a franchise quarterback. In 2022 it was “should Marcus Mariota beat out Desmond Ridder?” In 2023 it was “should Desmond Ridder be the team’s starter without a competition?” In 2024, it was “is Kirk Cousins healthy?”

There will still be questions about just how good Michael Penix will be, but there’s no question about his status or how the team views him. He’s the quarterback for the future and the no-question starter in 2025, regardless of what happens with Cousins.

This is refreshing and justified, and I’m glad there’s not going to be a whiff of controversy or competition heading into the year. We’ve missed that.

Regardless of the draft, development matters

The reality is that the Falcons don’t have the assets to make sweeping changes to this roster. They can clear cap space and trade down to acquire more picks, but the days of extra selections and $60 million in spending money are in the past.

That’s why Morris noted the importance of getting more out of who the team has, which is particularly vital for young talent like…well, the entire 2024 draft class, which barely played last year. It’s easy and necessary to get excited about who will be joining the Falcons, but the reality is without improvement from the Falcons who remain on the roster, this team probably isn’t going anywhere in 2025.

Raheem Morris is in favor of banning the tush push

Kind of self-explanatory but thought I’d share it regardless.