FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons will open 2024 training camp with veterans and rookies reporting Wednesday, July 24, at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch.
Here's a closer look at a few storylines:
Biggest question: Did the Falcons' high-profile offseason make them a winning team?
Atlanta signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract with $100 million guaranteed. The addition filled the most important role on the field and gave the Falcons their first consistent, productive veteran at quarterback since Matt Ryan. They also acquired a pair of wide receivers in free agent signee Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore, whom Atlanta got from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for quarterback Desmond Ridder. An offense that already had young talent in running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts should be improved.
But the Falcons chose to forego a defender with the No. 8 pick in the draft, taking instead their quarterback of the future in Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta drafted front-seven players with the next four picks. All of them, led by second-round selection Ruke Orhorhoro, a defensive lineman, could get playing time almost immediately on an unproven defense that needs players to step up.
Most impactful offseason addition: Raheem Morris
Morris has an incredible amount of experience in the NFL -- 22 years as a coach, from the smallest roles to the biggest. Morris has won a pair of Super Bowls, one as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one as the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. He has also been in Atlanta before, from 2015 to 2020, including for the team's Super Bowl XXXIII loss. Morris was head coach Dan Quinn's defensive backs coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator before becoming interim head coach after Quinn's firing.
Morris' first head-coaching opportunity came in 2009 with the Buccaneers. His record was 17-31 in three seasons. But people around the league raved when Atlanta hired the well-respected, charismatic Morris. He has a chance to be revered in the city if he can help the Falcons to their first winning season since 2017 and sustain success. Atlanta is coming off back-to-back 7-10 seasons under former coach Arthur Smith.
The player with the most to prove: Kyle Pitts
Pitts followed up his record-breaking rookie season in 2021 with an injury-laden 2022 (torn right MCL) and a subpar 2023 in which he was likely still favoring that injury. This spring, Pitts said he is now completely healthy, and he has a quarterback in Cousins who can accentuate his strengths. In other words, it's now or never for him to prove he can reclaim the form of his 2021 season when he was named to the Pro Bowl, the first rookie tight end to achieve that since Jeremy Shockey in 2022.
Pitts will also have the benefit of more depth around him at the skill positions and a new scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who came over from the Los Angeles Rams with Morris. Robinson plans on using Pitts at both tight end and wide receiver, and he's expected to be a major part of the offense.
Training camp is a success if ... Cousins and Jarrett return to form.
This seems obvious, but Atlanta has more red flags than most when it comes to injuries to significant players. Cousins is coming off a torn right Achilles that ended his 2023 season in Week 8. He was able to do just about everything in OTAs and minicamp, but that was without contact. It's unclear how much Cousins will be able to do early in training camp, though he and the team expect him to be ready to start in Week 1.
Then there's the Falcons' defensive leader Grady Jarrett, the team's elite defensive tackle who also tore his right ACL in Week 8 last season. He didn't practice at all in the spring, though he was hoping to be 100% for training camp. Cousins is 35 years old, and Jarrett is 31. Atlanta needs both to heal and be able to play at their best in time for the season if their potential is to be realized.