After playing in just two games as a fourth-round rookie, Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus is hoping to turn lessons into productivity this fall.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- As Brandon Dorlus walked off the Atlanta Falcons' practice field following the first day of mandatory minicamp June 10, he flashed the Oregon block-O behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a college rival who starred at Washington.
Smiling, laughing and jubilant, you'd never know Dorlus was five months removed from perhaps the hardest season of his football career.
Now, after a year full of painful lessons and an abundance of healthy scratches, the second-year defensive tackle has the same bright grin and infectious energy that he arrived in Atlanta with -- but inside him is a drive that's never been more alive.
"Just a little wake up year," Dorlus told Atlanta Falcons on SI of his rookie season in 2024. "Just getting adjusted to the whole new speed and physicality of the NFL. I just feel like I'm more of a guy just trying to bring energy off the field, do my job off the field. A year of learning for me, to be honest."
Dorlus's alarm clock not only went off mentally, but it physically rings sooner.
He's in the team's facilities by 6:30 or 6:45 a.m. each day, he said, despite meetings not starting until 8 a.m. He goes into the Falcons' treatment room and takes dips in both the hot and cold tub. He undergoes soft tissue work. After team workouts, he stays and lifts for an additional 10 minutes.
Last year, Dorlus did what was on the team's schedule. This year, equipped with knowledge from since-departed veteran defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and Eddie Goldman, Dorlus is doing what it takes to play a decade in the NFL.
He's fine-tuning his body, and his routine has changed drastically. He's more active. He's getting up earlier, getting inside the building, getting more treatment and moving his body.
It's the reflection of a season that, amid limited on-field activity, created legitimate self-provided urgency.
"I feel like last year, I was just coming in riding the wave. I feel like I got stuck in the flow of just surviving," Dorlus said, "I feel like this year, I'm more proactive. My body feels better, energy's a lot better.
"If I want to play 10 years, I got to do that 10-year work."
Dorlus arrived in Atlanta with subtle yet substantiated buzz. The Falcons selected Dorlus, a three-time All-Pac-12 selection at Oregon, with the 109th pick in the fourth round in 2024. He was one of college football's premier interior pressure players, ranking third among all defensive linemen with 35 quarterback hurries in 2023, per Pro Football Focus.
But Dorlus struggled seeing the field despite the Falcons ranking second-to-last in the NFL with 31 sacks.
He was a healthy scratch the first 10 games of his rookie season, and he told Atlanta Falcons on SI in October that his goal was to stay active once he received his chance to play. He debuted in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos and former Oregon teammate Bo Nix, playing nine snaps, and he was active again the following game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dorlus was active but didn't play in a Week 14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but he was inactive for the final four weeks of the regular season. He enjoyed his brief opportunity to play football again, but for someone who had played all 48 games over his final four years in college, Dorlus's rookie year was a rude awakening.
"It was very difficult," Dorlus said. "I missed playing football, but I just used it as a year -- I got some good rest for the body to get back, and also I just used it as a knowledge year. I want to play 10 years in the league, so it's gonna take a year of learning.
"So biggest thing for me I learned is just stay consistent, stay persistent and do your job every day."
Dorlus learned how veterans like Jarrett, who finished his 10th NFL season in 2024, and Goldman, who entered the league in 2015, approach work each day. He also witnessed the grit necessary to last in the NFL.
But during his toughest times, Dorlus sought others in the same position as himself. He grew close with fellow rookie defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro, along with Penix and the rest of the team's rookie class.
This spring, the Falcons released Jarrett in a cap-saving measure and didn't re-sign Goldman, which marked the loss of their first- and third-largest snap-getters from defensive linemen last season. It opens the door for Dorlus and Orhorhoro to see larger roles this fall -- and fulfill their manifestation from several talks last year.
"It wasn't really heart-to-heart, but it's really, 'We got to take over,'" Dorlus said of his conversations with Orhorhoro. "We want to win games, win a Super Bowl. So, what we got to do to win games? Get sacks, stop the run. The bigger thing is, don't be a weak link. We're going to be in there playing with constant energy and just have fun."
Dorlus's off-field changes aren't limited to his own personal routine adjustments. He's playing under a new defensive coordinator in Jeff Ulbrich and new defensive line coach in Nate Ollie. Dorlus dubbed Ulbrich's system "controlled chaos," while Ollie is renowned for his energy, making him a personality fit for the bubbly Dorlus.
From an on-field responsibility perspective, Dorlus doesn't anticipate much change.
He plans on being a run-stopper with the tools to play every down if necessary, much like the Falcons asked of him last season. Ollie mentioned Atlanta will put Dorlus on the edge at times as well, which Dorlus did extensively at Oregon -- he played over 650 snaps at the end of the defensive line in his final three seasons.
When Atlanta drafted Dorlus, head coach Raheem Morris touted his versatility and pass rush potential as key motivators in the decision. And while his scheme and position coach are different, Dorlus appears to be in a more advantageous spot this year relative to maximizing Morris's expectations.
And Ollie believes results will follow.
"Brandon, man, I'm just excited," Ollie told Atlanta Falcons on SI before OTAs. "He's a guy I've really been excited to see. Especially when you're doing the drills, you're talking about a guy that's 285 (pounds) and can move the way he can move.
"We really feel the front and the scheme we're going to do is going to really unlock everything that he has in his body."
Morris said players often take their biggest jumps from Year 1 to Year 2 as a professional. There's not an exact blueprint but rather common factors that dictate it.
Players become full-fledged adults when they transition from college to the NFL. As a rookie, Morris said coaches are often in players' ears, telling them what to do throughout the day. The rookies' schedules and routines are practically made for them.
What determines growth, Morris said, is the routine and rhythm players find in Year 2. They get out of meetings several hours earlier and have more decisions to make regarding body maintenance, extra work and studying.
But Dorlus didn't need Morris to tell him that. He was already doing it with his eyes toward achieving professional longevity.
"Off the field is big," Dorlus said. "Film, just mental wise, to stay mentally sharp on the field. The weight room's really huge -- that's the biggest thing, just staying physically in shape, staying strong, staying explosive. And to do that for 10 years, you got to grind.
"And it's not just coming in, just doing a workout. You got to do extra; you got to do more. Got to go in the training room, got to get in the hot tub, all that."
Morris said he's seen Dorlus attack the offseason and establish body armor, proving he's physically and mentally fit. The next test comes when the Falcons begin training camp July 24, as pads start popping and pressure starts rising.
Ollie feels Dorlus, who made three total tackles as a rookie, is talented enough to make the patented Year 2 leap -- and his off-field evolution has him in position to capitalize on his talent.
"Brandon is a guy that, he puts in work," Ollie said. "And really seeing him taking that Year 1 to Year 2 is going to be a big step for him."
But don't consider Dorlus to be a sleeping giant. He's already wide awake.
