The Falcoholic
Getting back DeMarcco Hellams could be a difference maker for the Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons were reasonably healthy in 2024, but like all teams, they lost impactful players along the way. Some of those players were absolutely vital pieces whose losses were keenly felt, while others were promising young players who could have been difference makers.
As we head into the 2025 offseason, most of our focus will be on who the team will be acquiring to improve a roster that badly needs bolstering. We should still remember that there are players who will be returning from injury that might be difference makers in 2025, and I’ve put together a quick list to jog our collective memory.
A healthy Koo should be a difference maker. We know that Koo was hurt before he was placed on injured reserve, but we don’t know the extent to which his injuries sapped his effectiveness in 2024. What we do know is that Koo hit all nine of his tries in the first four weeks and 15 of 17 tries in the first six weeks before the wheels came off and he missed five of his next seven kicks. He righted the ship somewhat after that before hitting season-ending injured reserve, but Koo wasn’t quite himself, and he missed a career-high nine field goals after never missing more than five in a season.
Again, you can’t pin all of Koo’s struggles on his ailments, and he’ll need to be both healthy and better to hold on to his job in 2025. But if he can return to form and be one of the league’s more consistent kickers again, it will make an obvious and appreciable difference for a Falcons team hurt quite a lot by missed kicks last season.
What might have been, eh? Andersen was utterly dominant against the Saints in Week 4, piling up 17 tackles and snagging a pick six, but then he got hurt, missed most of the rest of the season, and was a shell of himself when he was on the field the rest of the way.
The talent is evident and the Saints game was a tantalizing look at just how good Andersen can be as an aggressive, fast linebacker with plus coverage skills, something the Falcons were very evidently lacking last year without him. Like Koo, the Falcons aren’t necessarily going to count on Andersen in 2025 given the health concerns, but if he can remain healthy I virtually guarantee he’ll be a difference maker for a defense starved for plus athletes at inside linebacker.
While we saw Koo and Andersen shine early before things went awry, we never got to see Trice in a regular season game. The well-rounded rookie was expected to provide help for a shaky Falcons pass rush and quality run defense, something he did consistently in college, but instead Trice was injured in preseason and missed the entire 2024...
