The 2024 off-season has a chance to be a transformational one for the Atlanta Falcons. With the departure of Arthur Smith, the Raheem Morris era of the Falcons makes its beginning and it has gotten off to an explosive start.

With the overhaul of the roster, building this team in the image of the three-headed monster of Morris, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Atlanta has come out of the first wave of the off-season as the betting favorites to win the NFC South, according to DraftKings Sportsbooks.

Before the off-season started, the Falcons had five questions looming that they needed to answer for it to be called a success. We look into whether or not these five looming questions have been answered.

1) Did you upgrade at Quarterback?

Answer: Yes, maybe too much…?

At the end of 2023, 30 quarterbacks had 320+ quarterback plays, according to rbsdm.com. Desmond Ridder ended the year 24th in the league in adjusted EPA/play. The quarterbacks worse than him?

• Washington’s Sam Howell
• Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett
• Minnesota’s Josh Dobbs
• New England’s Mac Jones
• Carolina’s Bryce Young and
• New York’s Zach Wilson

The only player out of that list still on their 2023 team is Young, and that’s because the Panthers invested a first-overall pick on him. The Falcons had to upgrade at quarterback…even if they did it questionably.

Atlanta did everything in their power to secure Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, including giving him a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed, but the Falcons weren’t done there.

With Cousins coming off a season-ending Achilles injury and backup Taylor Heinicke not giving much confidence in his abilities in his play last year, Atlanta took quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. with the eighth overall selection in this year’s draft.

Was it overkill? Could be. But if this goes as the Falcons believe, Atlanta is set at the quarterback for at least the next half-decade to a decade.

2) Did you address the pass-rush?

Answer: Unconventionally, but yes.

Over the past decade-plus, the Falcons’ pass rush has been virtually non-existent. How much? Since 2014, only 41 teams have had less than 30 sacks throughout an NFL season. The Atlanta Falcons are the owners of six of those teams. The next team on the list is Oakland/Las Vegas, with three seasons.

The Falcons pass-rush needed help, even if they did get over the 40-sack mark for the first time since 2004 last season. So, did they? The answer is yes, but unconventionally, the word of the year for the Falcons’ approach to team-building.

With the Falcons selecting Penix at eight, they forwent the opportunity to add a potential premium pass-rusher in the draft, and they didn’t add a pass-rusher at all in free agency. And after losing roughly 13 of those sacks in the losses of Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree, there had to be some sort of answer.

Their answer was to add more to the defensive line rotation with not one, not two, but three draft picks spent on the interior of the defensive line. The player with the most upside? The long, athletic Ruke Orhorhoro. The player with the most potential to have an immediate impact? The versatile, powerful Brandon Dorlus. Then, there’s the massive mountain of a man in Zion Logue, who could find a role as a nose tackle.

The Falcons also added one of the potential steals of the draft in Bralen Trice to add to the edge rush rotation, but this off-season showed that they are taking a large bet on those on this roster taking massive steps into their development. 2022 second-round edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie is the top returning sack-getter with 6.0 from last season. If Ebiketie can reach/get close to that double-digit sack total, the Falcons could get to and beyond that 40-sack mark.

Is 40 sacks a low bar? Absolutely, but we have to start somewhere.

3) Who is playing cornerback on the other side of A.J. Terrell?

Answer: Work in progress…

Speaking of bets that this year’s team is making on last year, the Falcons seemingly refused to address the CB2 position. A.J. Terrell is in a contract year and has been teetering between elite and good status since his breakout 2021 season. He’s talented and worthy of that extension, but he and safety Jessie Bates III can’t do everything.

Atlanta made a few signings, adding Antonio Hamilton, Sr., Kevin King and Anthony Johnson to the roster throughout free agency. However, the second cornerback position is up for grabs for most of the cornerback room.

Mike Hughes and Clark Phillips III both have claims to the position as Phillips played admirably in his opportunities last season, while Hughes showed flashes of solid play the last time he was a full-time starter on the outside in 2021, as a Kansas City Chief.

Filling out that other spot is still a work in progress, but they have at least tried to address the situation. How well did they? That remains to be seen.

4) Did Drake London get some help in the wide receiver room?

Answer: Absolutely

Drake London led all Falcons receivers with 905 yards receiving last season. The next wide receiver? Mack Hollins with 251. London hasn’t needed help like this since 1666, and it came in droves this off-season.

Atlanta brought in former Chicago Bears receiver Darnell Mooney in the first wave of free agency, then found a way to pull off the rare player-for-player trade as they acquired receiver/offensive weapon Rondale Moore for quarterback Desmond Ridder, both of which needed a fresh start.

Even with these additions, the Falcons weren’t finished. They drafted Illinois’ outside ball-winner Casey Washington in the sixth round as another potential draft steal.

It was clear that the word of the off-season for the receiver room was speed, and they added plenty of it. With this overhaul, London got plenty of help, and this offense got a much-needed face-lift that could help them compete for a playoff spot in 2024.

5) Did they do enough to overtake the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South?

Answer: On paper? Yes

Quarterback Baker Mayfield was overlooked as a signing to the Bucs last season as they were seen as a rebuilding roster in the wake of Tom Brady’s departure. Instead, Tampa Bay won nine games, including five of their final six, to take the NFC South for a third consecutive year.

After outfitting this roster with offensive weapons galore, the Falcons got rid of Smith to get the modern-day mold of a contender: A Shanahan/McVay-type offense and a quarters-heavy, bend-but-don’t-break defense. Was that enough to overtake them for the division? On paper, yes.

Games aren’t played on paper. The Bucs retained a large part of their core, including Mayfield, star wide receiver Mike Evans and star safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., making them as formidable as they were last season. If the Falcons’ plan goes as planned, it won’t matter. Atlanta will have too much talent for Tampa Bay to overcome.

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Those who loved 23-year-old Briana Winston gathered at Trammell Crow Park on Sunday to reflect on her life.

“She was very independent. She had a vision of what she wanted her life to be and she just kept pushing,” said Diana Moore, her godmother.

Clayton County police said the 23-year old mom of one was killed in March during an argument with her boyfriend Michale Edwards. Family said he had them fooled.

“He was quiet, he seemed to be caring, he was very adoring of his daughter, and Briana as well. So, it was extremely shocking,” said Moore.

Boyfriend of missing Clayton County mother charged with murder, accused of setting body on fire

Investigators said Edwards allegedly choked her to death, then – along with an accomplice – placed her body in a suitcase, drove to Tennessee and set the suitcase on fire. On top of all that, police believe his wife, brother and mother were all in on it.

“I was enraged. I didn’t understand. A lot of unanswered questions – why?” said Kendrick Langford, Briana’s uncle.

“I talked to Briana on March 16. She asked to come over to the house, and she decided to go to her best friend’s house instead. And the last thing I said to her was, ‘Be safe. Thank you for letting me know,’” said Moore.

For a moment, Briana’s family wanted to put the disturbing details aside, and remember how she lived, not how she died.

Police provide updates after boyfriend charged in Clayton County mother’s death

“What happened to her, it should have never happened,” said Grace Jamison, a friend.

They said one way to remember Briana is to hold your loved ones a little closer.

“Celebrate life, enjoy life. Go out and give somebody a hug that you know. Call somebody you haven’t talked to in a long time, tell them you love them,” said Langford.

Memorial service details are still in the planning stages.

MORE COVERAGE:

Suspect’s family helps cover up woman’s murder, Clayton County police say

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.

2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, N.Y. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Gala guests included High Museum of Art Director Randall Suffolk,
curator Valerie Cassel Oliver, photographer Tyler Mitchell, designer Sergio Hudson, artist Ebony G. Patterson, and gallerist Monique Meloche

ATLANTA, GA., PLAYED HOST to the art world on April 26, when the High Museum of Art celebrated 2024 David C. Driskell Prize recipient Naomi Beckwith. The Driskell Prize recognizes exceptional contributions to the field of African American art. The 19th recipient of the prestigious honor, Beckwith is deputy director and chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Sunda and G. Scott Uzzell, Nike vice president and general manager for North America, chaired the Driskell Prize gala. The evening featured a seated dinner, remarks, and the annual event’s first-ever afterparty.

More then 250 guests attended the gala, according to the High Museum. Guests included High Museum Director Randall Suffolk; Raphael Bostic, president and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Camille Love, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; Phillana Williams, director, Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment; and Nickol Hackett, chief investment officer and treasurer, Joyce Foundation, Chicago, Ill.

Patrons mixed with artists and curators, Atlanta-born photographer Tyler Mitchell; Atlanta artists Charly Palmer and Fahamu Pecou; artist Genevieve Gaignard; and Lauren Haynes, head curator and vice president of arts and culture, Governors Island, New York, N.Y., among them. Previous recipients of the Driskell Prize were also in attendance, including Valerie Cassel Oliver (2011), curator of modern and contemporary art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va.; Naima Keith (2017), vice president of education and public programming, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and artist Ebony G. Patterson (2023).

“…It’s wonderful always to be admired by peers or acknowledged by peers, whoever they may be in the field,” Beckwith said in a High Museum video made on the occasion of the Driskell Prize. “So you sit and you go to the dinners, and it’s all—it’s all quite lovely. But when you understand that your people see you, that is the biggest honor.”

Sergio Hudson designed Beckwith’s gown. The jewel-toned look with a long flowing, pleated skirt is featured in the designer’s recent Collection 12.

Proceeds from the gala benefited the David C. Driskell African American Art Acquisition Restricted and Endowment funds, the High Museum said, and over the years have helped add 52 works by African American artists to the museum’s collection. CT

FIND MORE about the David C. Driskell Prize

FIND MORE about David C. Driskell and the Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, College Park

From left, Sunda Uzzell, Naomi Beckwith, and Scott Uzzell. The Uzzells chaired the 19th Annual David C. Driskell Prize Gala. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

From left, 2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith and Randall Suffolk, director of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Kent Kelley and Tamara Kelley, members of host committee for the Driskell Prize Gala. Kent Kelley is a member of the High Museum of Art’s board of directors. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Charlene Crusoe-Ingram and Earnest Ingram, members of host committee for the Driskell Prize Gala. Crusoe-Ingram is nominating vice chair of the High Museum of Art’s board of directors. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

From left, 2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith with hosts of the gala. From left, Nikki Crump, Sunda Uzzell, Naomi Beckwith, Charlene Crusoe-Ingram, Robyn Wallace, and Louise Sams. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Robyn and Zak Wallace, members of host committee for the Driskell Prize Gala. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Karen Comer-Lowe, curator in residence at Spelman College Museum of Fine Art; and Artist and chef Leslie Parks Bailey, wife of late artist Radcliffe Bailey and daughter of late artist Gordon Parks. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

High Museum of Art Director Randall Suffolk and photographer Tyler Mitchell. “Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” opens at the High Museum of Art on June 21. | Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod, stars of the Atlanta-based HGTV series “Married to Real Estate.” | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith and Sergio Hudson, who designed Beckwith’s gala gown. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

South Carolina-born, Sergio Hudson is based in Los Angeles. Hudson won Bravo TV’s “Styled to Rock” in 2013, established his eponymous label in 2014, relaunched it in 2016, and debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2020. His clothes are made in the USA. Hudson’s clients include many prominent figures in the music industry, Hollywood, and politics, including former First Lady Michell Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, and First Lady Jill Biden, who wore a cobalt blue gown by Hudson to the White House State Dinner honoring Kenyan President William Ruto on May 23.

From left, Chicago gallerist Monique Meloche and 2023 Driskell Prize Recipient Ebony Patterson, who is represented by Monique Meloche. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

From left, DJ Princess Cut and Killer Mike, aka Mike Render, High Museum of Art board member. DJ Princess Cut provided music for the Driskell Prize gala’s first-ever after party. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

Photographer Tyler Mitchell and 2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

From left, 2011 Driskell Prize Recipient Valerie Cassel Oliver, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and 2024 Driskell Prize Recipient Naomi Beckwith. Cassel Oliver and Beckwith co-curated the landmark traveling survey “Howardena Pindell: What Remains to Be Seen.” | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

2024 Driskell Prizer Recipient Naomi Beckwith making remarks at the gala. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

2024 Driskell Prizer Recipient Naomi Beckwith, holding her award, with High Museum Director Randall Suffolk. | Photo by Rafterman, Courtesy The High Museum of Art

BOOKSHELF
Naomi Beckwith has published many volumes. Key among them, she co-authored the exhibition catalogs “Howardena Pindell: What Remains To Be Seen” and “Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Any Number of Preoccupations,” and co-edited “The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now.” Beckwith also edited the catalog for Duro Olowu’s MCA Chicago exhibition “Seeing Chicago” and co-edited the exhibition catalog “Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America (from Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter).” She has also contributed to several other volumes, including “Lorna Simpson: Revised & Expanded Edition” (Phaidon Contemporary Artists Series) and “Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art.”