'I Can't Complain': Falcons Rookie DL Awaits Debut, Finds 'Fun' in Growth

While the Atlanta Falcons slow-played rookie defensive tackles Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus, their bond strengthened.

Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus, a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, still hasn't made his pro debut. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- As Brandon Dorlus walked toward the exit doors of the Atlanta Falcons' locker room, his voice struck a high chord, singing a song while bellowing the name of fellow rookie defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro.

Dorlus was heading for IBM Performance Field before Friday's practice, donning a black No. 94 jersey -- he usually wears No. 54, but he's playing the role of Carolina Panthers defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson on Atlanta's scout team.

Orhorhoro, meanwhile, was in his No. 98 jersey, preparing to play the role of himself on the Falcons' defense. Two weeks prior, Orhorhoro was in Dorlus's shoes -- carrying the weight of a touted rookie while being inactive on gamedays and working on the scout team in practice.

But Orhorhoro has leveled up. He made his NFL debut Oct. 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and impressed his coaches and veteran teammates in the process.

Orhorhoro and Dorlus talk every day. Orhorhoro said his process to playing time was easier because he had Dorlus, going through the same struggles, to consult with. And while Orhorhoro's role has changed, his conversations with Dorlus haven't.

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"We always got to keep reminding ourselves to keep trusting the process," Orhorhoro told Atlanta Falcons on SI on Friday. "The same process that got us here to this point, is going to be a new process that's going to get to whatever point we need to get to.

"So just keep encouraging each other and remind ourselves to stay on top of our game."

Orhorhoro said it wasn't necessarily challenging to be inactive, because he still had the opportunity to practice football and feel involved throughout the week. Dorlus, conversely, has felt the differences.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native played in 57 games across five seasons at the University of Oregon. He saw action in nine games as a true freshman, though his experience then was similar to what he's going through now.

In 2019, Dorlus, who was over 3,000 miles from home, began his first collegiate season on the scout team. He worked his way into a second-string pass rushing role but he eclipsed double-digit snaps just three times.

Over the next four years, Dorlus played in all of the Ducks' 48 games and was a full-time starter from 2021 onward, thrice earning All-Pac-12 honors.

Dorlus believes he's in a similar situation now -- biding his time while waiting for his opportunity.

"I went to a room that had a lot of older guys, lot of veterans," Dorlus told Atlanta Falcons on SI on Friday about his time at Oregon. "So, you've just got to play your role, take the coaching in and just take the little pennies from these guys and little notes from them."

It is, nevertheless, an adjustment -- Dorlus noted he went from playing for five years at one of college football's best programs to sitting and learning in the Falcons' veteran defensive line room.

Still, Dorlus views his situation in a positive light.

"I'm very grateful for this opportunity because it's helping me develop, get better," Dorlus said. "I'm getting the best look in practice going against the ones and the starters. So, I can't complain about it."

The 23-year-old Dorlus has capitalized on the opportunity to learn. He's grasped how the veterans attack their weeks while incorporating parts of their pass rush moves into his own repertoire.

Falcons Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett has a patented chop-rip-club move. David Onyemata blends speed and power with length. Dorlus noted one of Onyemata's reps against the Tampa Bay Buccaners in Week 5, during which he started with power, "opened the door" and finished with a rip move.

Onyemata's move was simple, Dorlus said, but one the rookie is trying to emulate. Even though he's not playing on Sundays, he's getting plenty of opportunities to do so.

In practice, Dorlus routinely faces Atlanta's starting guards, All-Pro Chris Lindstrom on the right side and second-year standout Matthew Bergeron on the left. They offer different approaches -- Lindstrom gives quick sets and engages with his hands in a hurry while Bergeron, a converted college tackle with long arms, is more patient.

The caliber of play and differences in technique he faces in practice each day has taught Dorlus lots about himself.

"Like, 'Dang, I didn't even know I had this move in me,'" Dorlus said, smiling. "It's fun, though."

Another key part of Dorlus's path to self-discovery is his pre-practice intentionality. He enters each session with moves he wants to get better, and then attacks with them during the right moments.

Individual drills, which are led by defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, present perhaps the best chance to master a move and serve as an important piece to the broader puzzle.

Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said earlier this season Dorlus will be needed at some point this season. Dorlus's practice approach is, in a sense, a microcosm of why he believes he'll be ready when his number is called.

"Attack it like a pro," Dorlus said of how he stays ready. "I pretend I'm going to play this week. That's the only way you can attack it. If you have any other type of mindset, that wouldn't be a very professional mindset. I wouldn't be getting nobody better, and I wouldn't be getting better."

Orhorhoro has a similar mindset. He tries to practice as if he's playing every snap, and when he doesn't play, he's mentally engaged on the sideline.

The approach translated. Orhorhoro played 12 snaps in his debut and garnered praise for his ability to knock back defensive line, which resulted in three tackles and a pair of run stops.

From the sidelines, Dorlus watched -- with two emotions: One, happiness for his friend, and two, validation for his belief in the duo's future.

"I was excited for my dog, because we talk about it (and) we always get extra work in together," Dorlus said. "The goal is to get off the inactive and stay active. I told him, 'You had this moment, we got to stay active. Go out there and represent both of us.'"

The Falcons keeping Orhorhoro, a second-round pick, and Dorlus, a fourth-round choice, inactive for the first month of the season wasn't because of dissatisfaction. Instead, the decision centered around head coach Raheem Morris's personal investment in development.

Morris compared interior linemen -- both offensive and defensive -- to quarterbacks. It's not the same situation, but it's very similar, he said. Lindstrom and Bergeron each started as rookies, and Morris noted Washington Commanders "freak" rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but for the handful of early impact players, there are a hundred more who fizzled out.

As such, Morris said he's always going to slow-play interior linemen, hence the lack of early-season opportunities for Dorlus, and for a while, Orhorhoro.

"It happens so fast -- it's a man's game in there," Morris said Friday. "You can break some will if you put them out there too early. Different than an edge rusher, different than a tackle, even. A tackle can get out there and kind of get acclimated pretty quickly.

"Those interior positions -- D-tackle, guards, center -- those things happen a lot faster in the National Football League, and you always want to slow play those looks."

Morris pointed out the Falcons' third-round pick, outside linebacker Bralen Trice, was probably coming on a litle bit faster than the interior players before he suffered a torn ACL in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins.

Morris knew from watching Dorlus, Orhorhoro and sixth-round draftee Zion Logue, who was signed off Atlanta's practice squad Oct. 1 by the Buffalo Bills, in practice that he needed to "slow-roll" their growth.

And the depth of the Falcons' defensive line, from Jarrett and Onyemata to Eddie Goldman, Ta'Quon Graham, Zach Harrison and Kentavius Street, has granted Morris the freedom to do as he pleases.

It's a different scenario than the one Morris had in 2023, when he was the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator while third-round rookie defensive tackle Kobie Turner totaled nine sacks and finished third in the AP Rookie of the Year race.

Turner played a prominent role early, but not because he was more ready than Atlanta's current rookie class. Instead, Morris said the Rams used Turner in situational settings -- he was a designated pass rusher who eventually eased into being a backup nose tackle and eased further into playing running downs later in the season.

Morris said the Falcons could have used Orhorhoro in a similar fashion early on, as his pass rush prowess may have translated to fast success, but Morris believes Atlanta has the depth up front so it didn't need to force Orhorhoro -- or Dorlus -- onto the field.

"We didn't have that amount of depth in LA when it came to the people that we have, the people that have played a lot of football," Morris said. "The TQ's, the Zach's of the world. So, that's all strategic, based on your team and the differences you have in your team and how you want to go about that process.

"Like for us here, we were in a little bit different role, different spot than we were in LA."

Thus, the Falcons are giving more time to their rookie interior defenders to acclimate to the speed of the NFL game. Dorlus has embraced it.

During joint practices with the Dolphins in August, he said beating professional offensive lines required more power and less finesse. Now, with preseason games and a month's worth of in-season practices under his belt, he thinks he can use more of the athleticism that helped him reach the sport's highest level.

"I love how the game is faster than college," Dorlus said Friday. "I feel like it buys into my pass rush moves, being more of like a speed rusher. I enjoy switching it up, going from speed to power. Just learning different moves from Grady, D.O., all different players, all different type of rushes."

Pass rushing is where the Falcons need the most help. Their defense ranks last in the NFL with just five sacks, and while most on the unit have cited quick-passing quarterbacks and third downs unfavorable for pressuring the passer as central factors, the number has largely been deemed unacceptable.

Eight players, including Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby, have at least as many sacks as the Falcons have as a team.

Dorlus starred as a pass rusher for the Ducks. He tallied 35 quarterback hurries in 2023, which ranked No. 15 nationwide, and he posted a team-high five sacks.

And for the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Dorlus, pass rushing has never been something he flat-out attacked -- it's often come naturally.

"I feel like God blessed me with the natural ability to be athletic, and I feel l give these guards a very hard time with my speed," Dorlus said. "In college, by my second year, sophomore year, junior year, I kind of made that more of an emphasis.

"Like, 'I want to be a dominant player. I want to make sure I show up in the pass and the run."

Orhorhoro agreed -- on several aspects, from Dorlus's pass rush prowess to the need to get better against the run.

"He has just a natural feel for pass rush," Orhorhoro said. "I watch him at practice and just the way he moves -- he has good bend and things like that. Him playing the run, that was a big challenge for him. {The coaches) challenged him to go out there and play the run, and he's showing he can do that at this level."

Now, Dorlus awaits the opportunity to show it. He already knows what he wants to prove when his chance arrives.

"I'm reliable," Dorlus said. "There's a reason why I got drafted this year, and there's a reason why I should be playing. At the end of the day, I just want to be a great teammate. I want to go out there and be someone who can be trustworthy and cause havoc all day."

But in the meantime, Dorlus is controlling what he can -- supporting Orhorhoro while soaking in every detail he can from the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart.

Because that, in his words, is the professional approach. It's one that already worked for him once at Oregon, and he's hoping lightning strikes twice.

"I wish I'd be playing out there," Dorlus said. "We have a very good, very deep room. So, I just want to be a great teammate, bring as much energy as I can and encourage these boys and keep getting better."

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