The Atlanta Falcons' defensive line is home to no shortage of exciting young talent, but one name is starting to stand among the rest. While first-round rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are grabbing all of the headlines, it's second-year defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus who has shined lately.
The 24-year-old is tied with Zach Harrison for the team lead in sacks, but Walker is hot on his trail. However, he's logged three of his 4.5 sacks on the season across the last two games, which means that the Dirty Birds' four-game losing streak is somehow providing fans some positive takeaways.
Raheem Morris is well aware that Dorlus is developing a key piece of his defensive nucleus, as his expanded role in Jeff Ulbrich's scheme is giving fans a reason to believe in Morris' vision a little longer. But his emergence isn't fixing all of Atlanta's defensive problems overnight.
Brandon Dorlus is quietly enjoying an impressive breakout campaign
In nine appearances (and five starts) this season, the second-year DT has amassed 17 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits in addition to his impressive sack numbers. Ruke Orhorhoro was drafted two rounds before Dorlus, yet he's quietly out-performing him.
The former Oregon standout has headlined an interior defensive line consisting of himself, Harrison, and Orhorhoro, but Sam Roberts and LaCale London have also been productive in a rotational role. Yet this promising group is absolutely putrid against the run, and it makes absolutely zero sense.
In the 31-25 Week 10 loss to the Colts, Jonathan Taylor ran for nearly 250 yards against this defense—including an 83-yard touchdown that saw the entire defense give up on the play. They had him swallowed up in the backfield for a short gain, but the MVP favorite found a way to escape the defense.
Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, and De'Von Achane also enjoyed big games against this defensive line, which is not much of a surprise when you consider how Rico Dowdle is expected to fare in Week 11. And it's even less surprising when you consider that Dorlus still needs to improve as a tackler.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dorlus' 40.9 PFF tackling grade is far below league average. He's still young, and his excellence in other areas has made up for the clear weakness, but fans know that the interior defensive line needs to toughen up against the NFL's most dangerous running backs.
But luckily, Dorlus is making his case for more playing time impossible to ignore—and he's deserved the expanded role since Ta'Quon Graham was released.