When the Atlanta Falcons selected John Cominsky in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, coach Dan Quinn had a vision for how he could feature him in his defense.
At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, Cominsky has the size to play inside and the speed to come off the edge.
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After primarily spending time playing defensive end at the University of Charleston and in his first season with the Falcons, Cominsky will be moved to defensive tackle in some third-down scenarios.
"[In our] base package we're going to keep him at defensive end and then we do want to see him work some inside, we did that some last year and that was part of his progression," Quinn said on Tuesday. "First and second downs [he will play] defensive end and then on some third down scenarios, definitely work him inside."
As Cominsky started to get more comfortable in Atlanta's defense, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for six games in his rookie year.
In the 10 games he saw action in, Cominsky recorded 11 tackles, two quarterback hits and two passes defensed.
The 24-year-old is expected to have a significant role in Atlanta's defensive line play in the upcoming season.
After finishing No. 29 in the league in sacks and No. 15 against the run, the Falcons have bolstered their defensive line in the offseason.
Atlanta signed outside linebacker Dante Fowler in free agency and drafted defensive tackle Marlon Davidson in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Falcons also re-signed defensive tackle Tyeler Davidson and defensive end Allen Bailey this offseason.
After a 1-7 start to the season, the Falcons drastically turned their 2019 season around. Following the bye week, Quinn made a few changes on his coaching staff with the main one being the move of Raheem Morris back to the defensive side of the ball.
Morris and linebackers coach and assistant head coach Jeff Ulbrich called Atlanta’s defense and the unit saw significant improvement. The Falcons went 6-2 over the final eight games of the season.
In the last eight games, the Falcons' defense ranked No. 1 on third down, No. 5 in points allowed per game (16.9) and No. 5 in red zone touchdown percentage.
The Falcons named Morris defensive coordinator immediately following the last game of the 2019 season.
Atlanta used four of its six draft picks on defensive players, including cornerback A.J. Terrell who was selected with the No. 16 overall pick. Davidson was drated in the second round and linebacker Mykal Walker and safety Jaylinn Hawkins were both selected in the fourth round.
