Steak, Lobster & Role Clarity: How Falcons Sold Free Agent EDGE James Smith-Williams

Inside the Atlanta Falcons' free agency pursuit of outside linebacker James Smith-Williams, and how he's ascended into a starting role.

Outside linebacker James Smith-Williams has been a standout during Atlanta Falcons training camp. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The more film Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel Ryan Pace watched of free agent outside linebacker James Smith-Williams this spring, the more he felt the urge to send a message.

So, he did.

"Hey, look, you need to watch this guy," Pace told Falcons defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith. "He's available."

Rodgers and Smith watched film of Smith-Williams together. They also looked at his numbers across four years with the Washington Commanders, which included 55 games played, 27 starts, seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hits.

But the biggest statistic to Atlanta's assistant coaches was snaps played -- Smith-Williams recorded 387 in 2021, 506 in 2022 and 418 in 2023 -- in an edge room headlined by Montez Sweat and Chase Young. This, Rodgers said, showed Washington's trust in Smith-Williams.

Smith and Rodgers began reevaluating their own position groups, trying to identify what, exactly, they wanted to interject into their rooms. They concluded that between his 6-foot-3, 265-pound frame and experience playing on the edge, Smith-Williams was best suited to work with Smith.

"I think once we watched 'JSW' on tape, he was the perfect guy, especially in my room and what I need," Smith told Falcons on SI. "He brings toughness and physicality to our room. And then also he has position flexibility as far as what he can do moving inside, moving outside.

"He creates chess pieces, what I like to call them, where we can move different guys around and present some different things."

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With position coaches sold, the pecking order went to head coach Raheem Morris, who was already familiar with the skill set of Smith-Williams from the pre-draft process in 2020.

When Morris turned on the film to watch Smith-Williams at North Carolina State University, he saw a defensive lineman wearing No. 1 -- an honor the Wolfpack gave to players for their work ethic, training habits and team leadership.

Morris was impressed then by the effort and physical edge-setting Smith-Williams provides, and Atlanta's first-year coach saw the same traits show up in Washington. Morris instantly saw his fit as an early-downs run defender.

Joining Morris in having history with Smith-Williams is Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith, who was Washington's director of player personnel when the team selected Smith-Williams in the seventh round. While the two were together for just one year -- Smith-Williams' rookie season in 2020 -- Smith saw enough to want a reunion.

"He's a high motor, tough, rugged, physical dude," Kyle Smith said. "That's what James is, and I think that's what we like about him. High character guy. He'll battle and compete on the edge. He brings leadership and he brings ethos for us as well."

With Morris, the front office and assistant coaches aligned in their conviction about Smith-Williams, the Falcons went to work -- more specifically, they went to eat.

Using owner Arthur Blank's card, Morris and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake took Smith-Williams to dinner in Buckhead, where they treated him to steak and lobster.

"It was a cool deal," Smith-Williams said, smiling. "I didn't have to pay."

Morris, who laughed mid-sip of water when asked about the luxurious meal, said the night was about laying out a plan for Smith-Williams. Since Morris became head coach Jan. 25, the Falcons have prioritized role clarity, the art of explaining a vision to players so they know what to expect and how to attack the job ahead.

Smith-Williams used the phrase "clear and concise" to describe the plan Morris and Lake showed. The two coaches have an extensive past together, starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 and again from 2010-11 before reuniting with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.

Plan aside, the Falcons' coaches wanted to sell Smith-Williams on themselves -- and the Raleigh, N.C. native spoke glowingly of the staff, noting Morris's infectious energy and charismatic, love-filled personality.

For Morris, relationships off the field are integral to success on it. He finds environments like the restaurant in Buckhead to be fruitful for establishing a balance of both.

"You get a chance to eat the meal that night and get a chance to meet us and know what we're about," Morris said. "You get a couple of jokes in there, have a lot of fun, talk some football, talk about the vision for the player, get them to sign, get them here. Excitement happens."

By night's end, Smith-Williams said it was a "no-brainer" to sign with Atlanta, ending his stressful free agency cycle that lasted nearly one month. On April 10, the two sides agreed to a one-year, $1.292 million deal, according to Spotrac.

Thereafter, the Falcons began pushing Smith-Williams down the path of executing their plan.

Atlanta's vision for Smith-Williams centered around his run-stopping ability. Morris mentioned earlier in training camp the Falcons want to focus on what players can do and maximize those skills rather than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

This, in its truest sense, is where role clarity comes into play.

"What he has been is a big time run down-ish backer that's been able to stop the run, that has the ability to show a little bit of pass rush when he's given opportunity," Morris said. "James, throughout his career, has been one heck of a run stopper."

Since Atlanta's first training camp practice July 25, Smith-Williams has worked consistently with the first-team defense at outside linebacker. From an external viewpoint, such a development may have been surprising.

Morris said he laughed at that shock because of the basis of role clarity. The plan for Smith-Williams is coming to life, in Morris's eyes. Smith-Williams agreed, noting everything Morris and Lake told him has manifested in practice -- especially playing both inside and outside on the defensive line.

On some plays in camp, Smith-Williams aligns as a stand-up outside linebacker on the offensive tackle's outside shoulder. On others, he puts one hand in the dirt and shades inside the tackle's shoulder.

It's a role Smith-Williams relishes, and one in which he believes he thrives at because of his body type.

"I think I'm a plus-sized outside linebacker, so I get some of that 'tweener stuff at times where I can be on the edge, also kind of condense down if need be," Smith-Williams said.

During the pre-draft process, players dubbed as "tweeners" are often devalued -- they're either considered too big to play one position and too small to play another.

Rodgers, who is entering his 12th year as an NFL defensive line coach and previously served one year as an outside linebackers coach, has worked with plenty of tweeners in his coaching career.

And although he doesn't have Smith-Williams in his room, Rodgers has a unique perspective on players with his frame and feels it can be a redeeming quality when used correctly.

"What you find out is once they get accustomed to the job description, they have a chance to be a huge mismatch," Rodgers said. "And so, (you) may get a taller and lighter guy inside who's a little twitchier than maybe the 330-pound guys.

"So, you can utilize those body types and when you get them on the edge, now they go against tight ends, and they should dominate those tight ends."

Rodgers added he understands the negative connotation around tweeners, but he believes the player's results are ultimately dictated by the team having a plan that enables them to find success. And when such players have success, the team does, too.

In the case of Smith-Williams, the Falcons outlined their plan from the start -- but that doesn't mean he's necessarily restricted to just defending the run or playing on run-stopping downs.

Morris compared the idea of role ascension to coaches. For instance, someone -- like himself in 2004 -- may start as an assistant position coach, but their role rises because they do more and dominate their responsibilities.

Players have the opportunity to do the same thing, and Smith-Williams has capitalized this summer.

"James is one of those guys that has that kind of role clarity, the ability to go practice, to be able to be present every single day within that role, and now you're watching it grow," Morris said. "It's not shocking because you see it so much in football, but it's just nice to see it around here.”

The 27-year-old Smith-Williams has found particular freedom in Lake's defense, a 3-4 scheme which required a transitional phase after working in a 4-3 with the Commanders.

Smith-Williams said the defense has been "great to play in," and it puts more responsibilities on his plate than he had in Washington, which is a challenge he happily accepts.

"I could be rushing, I could be dropping -- there's kind of different fit stuff there," Smith-Williams said. "4-3, very hand in the dirt. I had my one key, I'm rolling off the ball, I'm attacking the edge. You get your pre-snap keys, but it's not as in detail.

"If I'm dropping, 'Okay, I've got a motion - how do I adjust? How are we adjusting on the backend? Got to tie in the coverage.' So, it's a lot more moving parts."

From the moment he crossed into Buckhead's city limits, Smith-Williams has found comfort with the Falcons. The steak and lobster dinner had potential be full of empty promises, but instead, it set the tone for a chapter that, thus far, has been full of heavy serving sizes.

Now comes the biggest part -- producing on Sundays. And if his start is any indication, Smith-Williams is heading toward an impactful year on Atlanta's defensive front.

"He's really showing up because he is playing so clear," Morris said. "He is playing with just a light head. He's playing with an easy mind, easy heart and just having fun. He's been fun to watch grow.”