Falcons 'Going to Need' Rookie DL Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus Amid Inactive Stretch

The Atlanta Falcons have yet to play rookie defensive linemen Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus this season.

Atlanta Falcons rookie defensive linemen Brandon Dorlus (pictured) and Ruke Orhorhoro have been inactive each game thus far. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

When Jerry Gray walks through the hallways and meeting rooms of the Atlanta Falcons' headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga., he'll occasionally bump into rookie defensive tackles Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus.

Gray, the Falcons' assistant head coach/defense and a four-time Pro Bowl defensive back, has been around the NFL for most of the last 40 years. Orhorhoro and Dorlus are in their first season -- and haven't yet had a helmet on gamedays.

But Gray, who's often lauded for his wisdom, has tried to keep Orhorhoro and Dorlus focused on the bigger picture.

"I told them, 'NFL is a long season,'" Gray said. "So, the best thing you could do is go against the first team offense -- you're getting probably better work than even the veteran guys are getting. So, don't lose faith in that. So, think about it. The work you're putting in is still good work."

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Orhorhoro, a second-round pick from Clemson, and Dorlus, selected in the fourth round out of Oregon, were expected to be rotational players as rookies. Through the first three weeks, they've each been labeled as a healthy scratch for every game.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris cited the depth of Atlanta's defensive line as the primary reason. The Falcons have six defensive linemen active on gamedays -- Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Ta'Quon Graham, Zach Harrison, Eddie Goldman and Kentavius Street.

The veterans have played well, Morris said, and the rookies' inactive status is more an indication of the talent in the room than anything Orhorhoro and Dorlus have done wrong.

Yet while the two await their first gameday opportunity, Gray wants them to appreciate the quality of practice reps they're getting.

"You may not play on Sunday, but you're still getting two or three days of good work," Gray said. "So, when you get a chance to play, you're not taking a backseat to anyone."

Notice Gray said when, not if. The Falcons expect both Orhorhoro and Dorlus to see the field at some point this fall.

"I don't want to put a time on it, but the young guys, we're going to need them somewhere along the season, and we're going to need their energy," Gray said. "Because that's what's going to help us get to where we've got to go. The young guys really don't know what's going on yet in the football season.

"But they know at the end of the year when we need some young guys to step up and make some big plays, hopefully they're there to do that. Ideally, that depth can help you manage over the course of a long season [with] injuries."

Atlanta's rookie class has been the NFL's least productive thus far. Fifth-round linebacker J.D. Bertrand played one defensive snap in last week's 22-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, marking the first snap a Falcons rookie has played on offense or defense this season. Every other team in the NFL had a rookie take a snap on offense or defense on Week 1; the Falcons have one snap in three games.

The Falcons are playing the long game with first-round quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and third-round edge rusher Bralen Trice tore his ACL in the preseason.

But Orhororo and Dorlus are healthy -- and not yet making an impact.

Still, their numbers will be called at some point -- perhaps as soon as 1 p.m. Sunday, when the Falcons (1-2) host the New Orleans Saints (2-1) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.