Falcons position group deemed shakiest in entire league

The Falcons have a much-improved roster from a last year. That will happen when a club actually has cap space to participate in free agency.

Coming off back-to-back seasons in which Terry Fontneot had to build a roster with virtually no money, the Falcons entered the offseason with the second most cap space in the league.

Much of it was spent on the defensive side of the ball, bolstering the front more than anything, which was desperately needed. The offense didn’t need as much TLC, but there were additions, most notably through the draft. Bijan Robinson and Matthew Bergeron join the Falcons, but the receiver position was somewhat neglected.

Drake London is a WR1 in this league, but a combination of Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller aren’t exactly inspiring options behind him. Thankfully, the Falcons don’t feature the position as much as some other offenses, especially with Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, and pass-catching running backs like Bijan Robinson and Cordarrelle Patterson.

Still, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s the worst position group on the team, and ESPN recently dubbed it the worst wideout unit across the entire league.

Drake London looked the part of a budding star as a first-round rookie in 2022, but Atlanta’s depth at the position is extremely shaky. Journeyman newcomer Mack Hollins appears to be the favorite for No. 2 duties, but his main contributions figure to be as a run-blocker. The likes of KhaDarel Hodge, Penny Hart, Scott Miller and Frank Darby are next in line. Fortunately, wide receiver won’t be a priority position in Arthur Smith’s run-first scheme.

As I noted, the Falcons don’t feature the position as much as others, so there will be rare instances where three wideouts are on the field at once. However, for a team that wants to run the ball, Hollins is an excellent addition for his size and ability to contribute in the run game.

The Falcons could still use a more reliable WR2, but that can wait until next offseason.

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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire