ATLANTA -- Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus arrived as rookies for the Atlanta Falcons in the spring of 2024. The two interior defensive linemen knew each other from the combine, quickly hit it off as teammates and even came up with a signature sack celebration.
During OTAs as rookies, Orhorhoro and Dorlus devised the plan to hit a Dragon Ball Z fusion emote -- both standing up straight next to each other, then leaning toward each other with fingers pointed -- when one made a big play.
"We just never got a chance to get on the field together," Orhorhoro said.
Orhorhoro, a second-round pick, and Dorlus, a fourth-round selection, did not play much as rookies. Orhorhoro got into eight games, dealt with injuries and had a few healthy scratches early in the season. Dorlus played in just four games.
Dorlus said that inactivity led to some "tough" discussions between them.
"Some real heart-to-heart conversations right there," Dorlus said. "But it makes you a benefit. Not everything is rainbows, for sure. Work and get grinding. I think that really helped us mentally for the NFL because not everything is going to be peaches and cream."
In his second year, Dorlus has started every game. Orhorhoro has gotten significant snaps in all of them, too. Both have made a major impact on a Falcons defense that has somewhat surprisingly been among the league's best.
And, best of all, Orhorhoro and Dorlus were able to hit their celebration in Week 2 in a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons had six sacks in that game, their most since 2018. Dorlus had 1.5 sacks and Orhorhoro contributed a half.
The most sacks in a half since 2009 😅 pic.twitter.com/P9nAhxmiJB
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 15, 2025
Neither Orhorhoro nor Dorlus could agree on who is who in the fusion -- Goku or Vegeta -- but getting to hit the celebration was therapeutic after a long, emotional rookie year. The Falcons team photographers got a photo of it, too, which both second-year players relished.
"It felt really good just knowing that we've been trying to do it since last year, which sounds not long ago, but that's so long ago," Orhorhoro said. "Last year, OTAs and just knowing that we have the opportunity to do it a lot more this season, it just has us excited. And I'm surprised they even caught a picture of that because we did it so quick. But the picture was nice. We're just going to go out there and do it a couple of more times."
The way things are trending, it seems likely they will. Orhorhoro is third in the league among defensive tackles in quarterback pressure rate (15.4%). Dorlus, with his 1.5 sacks, is eighth in the league among defensive tackles in sack rate (2.2%). Falcons defensive tackle Zach Harrison is actually No. 1 in sack rate (4.1%) among DTs and fifth overall.
Under new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, the Falcons' defense is allowing a league-low 244 yards per game. New defensive line coach Nate Ollie, formerly with the Houston Texans, deserves a ton of credit for how the interior has excelled under philosophy.
Every Falcons defensive lineman has a wristband with plays on it. At the bottom, are the letters "GTFO." That stands for "get the f--- off," an encouragement for the players to get off their blocks as quickly and as violently as possible. That tenet and its aggressiveness has definitely spoken to Orhorhoro and Dorlus. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said during training camp that Dorlus might be the most improved player on the team.
"They love it because you're taking the seatbelt off," Ollie said of the aggressive philosophy. "Just go, right?"
Orhorhoro said sometimes he'll wake up to a text message from Ollie at 4 a.m. with just the letters "GTFO" in it.
"He doesn't get no sleep," Orhorhoro said with a laugh. "I don't know what he's doing, but he be up mad early."
Last season, Orhorhoro and Dorlus were behind Falcons great Grady Jarrett on the depth chart. Jarrett, a Georgia native, had been with the Falcons for 10 years, playing on the last Atlanta Super Bowl squad in 2016. Jarrett was a mentor to Orhorhoro and Dorlus but was surprisingly released in the offseason and now plays for the Chicago Bears.
Orhororo and Dorlus knew this season was their time to step up. Their early excellence was forged during those moments in 2024 when they weren't able to get onto the field but had each other to lean on.
"I feed off his energy, he feeds off my energy," Dorlus said. "He's having a bad day, I bring him up. If I'm having a bad day, he brings me up. To have that is really important, because not every day is going to be perfect. And so just having that guy in the room with you is nice."