It's no secret the Atlanta Falcons are preparing for an exodus this offseason. It's out with the old and in with the new, so Kevin Stefanski is preparing to make some changes that'll shake this roster to it's core. And that totally isn't because Raheem Morris will make his life more difficult on the way out.
Morris is getting his revenge on the Falcons for showing him the door, but now that he is the new DC of the 49ers, his last laugh will likely come in the form of bringing former players with him to San Francisco. Luckily there's no major defensive free agents, but there are a few it would sting to lose.
Losing Kaden Elliss would sting the most, but that doesn't feel as likely given his cheap-ish price tag. With that in mind, it seems relatively inevitable that David Onyemata won't be on the roster next season, and given how much the Falcons struggle to defend the run, this would be a major departure.
If the veteran DT were to leave Atlanta this offseason, a reunion with Morris makes the most sense, even though it would sting quite a bit. The 33-year-old is on the older side, but he proved he can still be productive this season after logging a career-high 62 combined tackles for a much-improved unit.
The Falcons can't afford to lose David Onyemata because of Raheem Morris
The Dirty Birds' future at defensive tackle is the trio of Zach Harrison, Brandon Dorlus, and Ruke Orhorhoro, but a veteran presence to help mentor them and fix those woes is helpful. And Onyemata was the best run-stuffing defensive lineman the Falcons had, and among of the best in all of football.
According to Pro Football Focus, Onyemata's 78.2 PFF grade and 74.2 run defense grade both ranked eighth out of 134 qualified defensive tackles. The Lagos native also led Atlanta's interior defensive linemen in snap share this season, so this would require that young trio to step up majorly.
Reuniting with Morris is one thing, but if he were to end up in the Bay Area, Onyemata would be entering a much better situation. He would be playing alongside Nick Bosa and Bryce Huff on the DL, which could help him to have another big year and make the front office regret letting him walk.
Ian Cunningham won't be able to retain the many defensive free agents the Falcons have. It would be less of a nightmare if Morris poached someone like Dee Alford or Arnold Ebiketie, who won't be back anyway, but losing a leader in the locker room following a career year would be a major issue.