The Atlanta Falcons bolstered their offensive line depth on Thursday, acquiring Wanya Morris in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Falcons are sending a 2027 sixth-round pick to Kansas City in the deal and receiving a 2027 seventh-round pick in return.
The Falcons aren’t investing much in this trade and Morris slots into a room that contains starting left tackle Jake Matthews and Morris’s former teammate, Jawaan Taylor. While ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler added that multiple teams were interested after he requested a trade this week, Chiefs fans seem relieved they actually got something in return and it may be a reaction that should be concerning for the Falcons.
Chiefs rejoice with Wanya Morris heading to the Falcons
Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports laid out the situation that led to Morris’s trade and he called it “a win-win” for both sides. The Chiefs had a log jam at the tackle position with Esa Pole and rookie Kahlil Benson rotating for right tackle snaps and with 2025 first-round pick Justin Simmons at the other end, it was clear Morris was the odd man out, leading to his request for a trade.
“He was seemingly not in their plans after going from reliable depth for Kansas City to a liability in short order,” Goldman wrote. “He’ll have an opportunity to play in Atlanta in 2026. Meanwhile, the Chiefs recoup draft capital and a small amount of cap space ($1.4 million) by trading Morris.”
Goldman also noted that Morris’s departure also bodes well for developmental projects Chu Godrick and Ethan Driskel, meaning this was a player that was going to get traded or released eventually.
It isn’t just the Chiefs who may be happy with the trade. Fans of the Los Angeles Rams, who also need depth after starting left tackle Alaric Jackson was arrested on the suspicion of felony domestic violence this week, could have pulled the trigger but decided not to because of Morris’s past..
JB Scott of the Turf Show Times noted the Chiefs tried to keep Morris, a former third-round selection, off the field, using free agent signings like Donovan Smith and Jaylon Moore and draft picks like Kingsley Saumataia and Simmons to make sure they didn’t have to play him.
“In short, the Chiefs hoped Morris could develop into a future starter at left tackle,” Scott wrote. “They instead saw his on-field performance over two years and invested at every opportunity to find a better option, whether it was Smith, Saumataia, Moore or Simmons.
“The Chiefs spent a ton of salary cap space and draft resources to ensure Morris was on the field as little as possible. When Morris requested a trade, the Chiefs did not bat an eye. Some team will take the bait. It should not be the Rams.”
While the Rams didn’t pull the trigger, the Falcons did and will likely end up regretting it. Morris allowed 62 pressures and seven sacks on 678 pass blocking snaps in Kansas City and never posted an overall grade above 60 according to Pro Football Focus. In addition, he’s played over 400 snaps in a season once and posted a 23.7 pass-blocking grade last season.
With the signing of Taylor, who was also maligned for poor performance in Kansas City, the Falcons’s response to Kaleb McGary’s retirement has been picking up the Chiefs’s trash like a rummager at a garage sale and it could lead to an underwhelming result from Thursday’s trade.
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