Atlanta will look to David Onyemata and Ruke Orhorhoro to replace Grady Jarrett this season
The Atlanta Falcons invested heavily at the edge position in the 2025 NFL draft, but they didn’t do much to address the interior or their defensive line. The team released veteran Grady Jarrett at the start of the new league year, and he landed a deal with the Chicago Bears in a matter of hours.
The Falcons signed Morgan Fox to a two-year deal in free agency, and brought back Ta’Quon Graham for depth. With defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich taking over, there’s a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding this group heading into training camp.
Continuing with our post-draft position previews (QB, RB, WR, TE, OT, OG, C, OLB, ILB), today we break down the team’s defensive line ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
NT depth chartDavid OnyemataKentavius StreetLaCale LondonLDE depth chartRuke OrhorhoroMorgan FoxSimeon Barrow Jr.RDE depth chartZach HarrisonTa’Quon GrahamBrandon Dorlus
This is one of the toughest positions to project on the team’s depth chart. The Falcons have said they want to play their young players more in 2025, which leads me to think they will start Ruke Orhorhoro and Zach Harrison next to defensive tackle David Onyemata. Orhorhoro played sparingly as a rookie but the team traded up to the 35th overall pick to draft him in 2024. Morgan Fox has a chance to play a key role as well, but I expect the team to use a heavy rotation at all three spots.
2025 salary cap hitsOnyemata: $16,925,000Fox: $2,500,000Orhorhoro: $2,253,665Harrison: $1,518,667Graham: $1,337,500Street: $1,197,500Dorlus: $1,165,599London: $960,000Barrow Jr.: $850,000
As you can see above, Onyemata’s 2025 salary cap hit is over six times higher than the next defensive lineman on the team. The Falcons don’t have much money committed to the position outside of Onyemata. Fox, who signed with the team as a free agent, has the second-highest cap hit at just $2.5 million this season. Only one other defensive lineman, Ruke Orhorhoro, will top the $2 million mark this season. Overall, this group is set to earn around $29 million in 2025.
Top free agents availableJadeveon ClowneyRaekwon DavisDeMarcus WalkerAustin Johnson
The Falcons have a few decent options to choose from if they want more help up front. Jadeveon Clowney is by far the best free agent available at the position, and he would make some sense if the Falcons aren’t confident in their current group. Raekwon Davis and DeMarcus Walker are other options, while Austin Johnson could be a name to watch at the defensive tackle spot.
Predictions/expectations for 2025
With Jarrett in Chicago, the Falcons will look to a few different players to replace him in 2025. Morgan Fox and Ruke Orhorhoro are both in the mix to start up front. It will likely come down to who performs best in training camp, which begins on July 24. Zach Harrison is in line for an expanded role, and second-year defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro could also start for Atlanta. While this group has some promising talent, it’s arguably the team’s weakest position overall. Onyemata is a proven veteran but the rest of the group is relatively untested.