The Atlanta Falcons badly needed offensive tackle depth, and they found some by acquiring Wanya Morris from Kansas City earlier this week. Morris is expected to compete to be the starting right tackle, but more importantly, he'll be a solid swing tackle for a team with questions at both OT spots.
All it took for Ian Cunningham to acquire the Super Bowl-winning tackle was a Day 3 pick swap in the 2027 NFL Draft. Swapping their sixth-round pick for a seventh to get it done? There's virtually no risk involved. It's not like the Falcons lost any draft capital by making this trade, and that's the appeal of it.
On paper, things feel very cut and dry. The Falcons wanted to add a more experienced body behind Jawaan Taylor in the right tackle room. But there's always a method to the madness in the NFL, and their rationale hd nothing to do with Taylor or the young OTs, it was mostly because of Storm Norton.
The Falcons traded for Wanya Morris to play the Storm Norton role
Because of Norton, Atlanta's master plan quickly became clear. Not even hour after the Morris trade was announced, the Falcons announced they were placing him on the reserve/PUP list, and the 32-year-old will miss all of 2026 after he missed all of 2025 due to injury.
It's unfortunate. Norton underwent ankle surgery last summer and started last year on IR, but missed the season after he was never activated during his 21-day window to return. And since he was the Dirty Birds' main swing tackle, it's fair to assume this explains why they made the move for Morris.
The 25-year-old has started 16 games across three NFL seasons, including 11 starts for the Chiefs in 2024. He also has experience at both tackle spots, which the Falcons will need. Jake Matthews is an ironman at left tackle and still adequate, but he's 34 years old and he has slowly started to decline.
Meanwhile, the right tackle spot is even more contentious. Kaleb McGary retired this offseason, and the man who's expected to replace him was one of the worst right tackles in the NFL. And there's a shot that Morris sees legit playing time in 2026, especially if injuries hit. It's not like Bill Callahan will turn to Ethan Onianwa or Jack Nelson over him.
Whether this means that the Falcons will release Storm Norton with an injury settlement remains unclear, but the Wanya Morris trade was done for one clear reason: even if the solution isn't great, Ian Cunningham prepared ahead to fill the swing tackle vacancy that Storm Norton's injury left behind.
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