After the Atlanta Falcons fired Raheem Morris, all attention is now shifting towards his future successor. Some fans are hoping for an offensive mind to be the next Falcons' head coach, but in a weak cycle of offensive coaches, many believe that a defensive coach is the better course of action.
The Falcons most likely need an offensive mind to work with Michael Penix Jr. and tap into the potential of the offense, since the current staff didn't know how. And that's exactly what former NFL running back Damien Harris said while weighing in on the Falcons' firings while on CBS Sports HQ.
"It starts with finding a good offensive coach."@DHx34 believes the Falcons need to find an offensive-minded head coach to turn their struggles around. pic.twitter.com/N3r7ypxhRC
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 5, 2026
"If you can find a good enough offensive coach that can get a good enough staff to put together a game plan, you can make the players off the back of Bijan Robinson, as long as you have adequate quarterback play."Damien Harris
Like many in the football world, Harris seems to be well aware that Zac Robinson was holding the offense back with his play-calling, which means that Arthur Blank and Matt Ryan have to get creative to find an offensive mind that can have a Ben Johnson-like impact on an offense that has elite talent.
Damien Harris knows an offensive-minded coach is exactly what the Falcons need
The Atlanta defense took massive strides this season, but it was the offense that continually lost the Falcons games. Aside from Sunday, the four-game winning streak at the end of the season was the best the offense looked all season, which made for coaching malpractice to the highest degree.
An offense with Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts should not be struggling to score points in any universe, regardless of the quarterback play. The unit has enough elite talent that even a competent offensive gameplan would have them hosting the Rams in the playoffs on Saturday.
But if Harris' words are any indication, the coaching search will have to be altered, and luckily, one of the men helping spearhead it is a former MVP quarterback. The offensive options are certainly lackluster this time around, but Klint Kubiak and Joe Brady are certainly two worthwhile candidates.
Kubiak and Brady are leading two of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL, but an intriguing candidate is Rams' OC Mike LaFleur. The brother of Packers' coach Matt LaFleur, LaFleur is an elite offensive mind with play-calling experience who will almost certainly receive interviews this cycle.
However, one of the more intriguing names is Kevin Stefanski if he is fired by the Browns (which appears likely), especially since he has a proven track record as a head coach. As long as the Falcons hire an offensive guru who isn't Mike McCarthy or Matt Nagy, the fanbase will be on board.