INDIANAPOLIS — General manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris had their talking points and they were sticking to them during their media availabilities Tuesday morning at the NFL Combine.
The questions they were to be asked were obvious: Kirk Cousins' future in Atlanta. Grady Jarrett's, too. Michael Penix Jr. was on the docket, of course. And there was a lot about the process of evaluating talent.
Throughout every question asked, Fontenot and Morris stuck to their answers.
Did they know Cousins was dealing with the injury he claimed he was after the Falcons' Week 10 loss to the Saints? Yes. That's why he was on the injury report.
Did they know it lingered? Not necessarily. If there were injury-specific questions, those should go to Cousins.
Were they surprised that he made the comments he did about said injury during the lead up to the Super Bowl? Eh, maybe a little, but it doesn't change their stance on moving forward with Cousins as Penix's backup in 2025.
And what about the future of other players? Namely Jarrett (who could be considered a cap casualty if the Falcons are strapped for cash), Drew Dalman (who is a free agent the Falcons could see value in bringing back) or Kyle Pitts (who fans are clamoring for answers about in regards to a potential trade package)? All of those conversations are to remain private, and Fontenot — particularly — would not be discussing them.
So, long story short: There wasn't a lot of information that anyone (national media or otherwise) could glean straight from the mouths of Fontenot or Morris. Which was probably, likely, absolutely, the point. However, their intentions based on their actions — more so than their words — were clear.
All signs point to big decisions coming for the Falcons' defensive unit in 2025.
As it was reported at the combine Tuesday, the Falcons didn't travel their entire coaching staff like some organizations choose to. This tracks for this staff as they didn't do so last year, either. In fact, outside of Morris, they really only traveled one assistant of note in 2024: T.J. Yates, the team's quarterback's coach. And we all know what happened thereafter: The Falcons drafted Penix with the No. 8 overall pick.
This year, the Falcons only traveled a select group of defensive assistants to the combine. None of the offensive assistants made the trip. What's more, the team has 45 official interviews scheduled with player prospects throughout the week. According to reports, all 45 of those interviews are with defensive players. So, if you're into the reading of tea leaves this is the nugget for you.
And honestly? That's kind of what we have to do at the combine. It's a place where words are many but notable actions are few. This development and how it could impact the Falcons' decisions is important seeing as the Falcons do have big decisions to make in regards to draft strategy and what could come to pass in free agency in the coming weeks.
I could write all day long about what Fontenot and Morris said and what they meant as they took to Radio Row and the combine podiums. But really, they didn't say anything that wasn't already known. They didn't change their stance on anything publicly since the last time they spoke at the end of the 2024 season. They didn't have any more information to share about players they're considering bringing back or deals they're looking into. There was — truly — nothing new to report. So, I wasn't going to waste your time or mine trying to make something out of nothing. But I do think actions speak louder than words anyways, which means what they actually do at the combine matters more to me than what they say.
So, those 45 interviews with defensive players? Yeah, that speaks louder than anything either man said during their morning media rounds.
