Falcons’ biggest weakness isn't as much of a flaw as it's been perceived to be

The Atlanta Falcons have their fair share of holes on their roster entering 2026, but none has been criticized more than the defensive tackle position. The Falcons already had one of the NFL's worst run defenses in 2025. and now they're dealing with some losses on the interior of their defensive line.

Atlanta saw David Onyemata leave for the Jets in free agency and they traded Ruke Orhorhoro to Jacksonville. That's the two defensive players who led all Falcons' defensive tackles in snaps played last season, so you just know they have some (literally) massive shoes to fill in the middle of the DL.

And in spite of all the changes, the disrespect has been constant. Earlier this offseason, SB Nation named the Falcons' defensive tackle room as the one of the NFL's weakest position groups (and the worst singular IDL group) and the narratives surrounding the group are starting to get a bit extreme.

The narratives around the Falcons' DT room could not be more untrue

While going over every NFC team's biggest need entering training camp, CBS Sports' Josh Edwards once again offered some disrespect to Atlanta's revamped defensive tackle room, saying the Falcons could afford to make another signing at defensive tackle before training camp truly starts next week.

"Wide receiver and defensive tackle are on similar footing," Edwards wrote. "The Falcons flipped defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro for Maason Smith. The team also has Brandon Dorlus and Da'Shawn Hand at the position." 

Edwards didn't really provide any sort of analysis for his reasoning, but even if he did, he would still be quite off the mark here. The room doesn't have as many names that jump off the page, but Brandon Dorlus broke out last year and should only continue to improve, as should a healthy Zach Harrison.

And then there's the guys they lost. The Dirty Birds sought to get younger and more athletic at defensive tackle, which is why they felt comfortable letting Onyemata walk. The 33-year-old still had a productive season last year, but he was clogging up snaps Atlanta could have given younger players.

And the Falcons dealt Orhorhoro because they finally realized he was a weak scheme fit. Instead of trying to fit a round peg in a square hole by playing him at nose tackle, the 6-foot-5, 306-pound Maason Smith is bigger and a better fit at nose tackle--but he can also step in at 1-tech if need be.

The Falcons signed Da'Shawn Hand in free agency to take on Onyemata's role as the veteran nose tackle too. So now the DT rotation is Harrison and Dorlus, with Smith, Hand, Chris Williams and La'Cale London playing rotational roles--and Anterio Thompson could carve out a role eventually.

The modern NFL is all about having a vision, which means bringing in players who are better scheme fits even if they're less flashy names. So while people may disagree with the approach, it's hard to deny that the Atlanta Falcons are better off trying to add upside to their defensive tackle room

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This article was originally published on bloggingdirty.com as Falcons’ biggest weakness isn't as much of a flaw as it's been perceived to be.