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6 hours ago
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Over the past few months, the vibe in Atlanta seems to have shifted ever so slightly. A Falcons franchise that looked to be directionless in the post-Matt Ryan world now suddenly feels like a team that is being built as if the front office and coaching staff now knows where they’re going.
You can point to Atlanta’s belief in their second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the excitement surrounding a pair of 1st Round picks – Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. – who are likely to wreak havoc in opponents backfield right out of the gate, or simply the lack of a clear-cut favorite in the NFC South, and it’s easy to imagine that the Falcons might have the goods to win the division for the first time since 2016.
But what may actually be the strength of this Falcons roster is an underappreciated cast of pass-catchers that returns nearly all of its production from last season. In wide receivers Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts, Atlanta returns a total of 334 receptions, 3,982 yards and 20 touchdowns from last season’s team.
Giving Michael Penix Jr. a large group of familiar faces to sling the pigskin to should help his development in year two behind center, and as former Falcons Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White explained recently during an interview with 680 The Fan, it’s a group that complements each other quite well.
“I think, I think our core is really good. I think we got a lot of people that complement each other, you know, a lot of things that they do well,” White said. “I think Drake is doing an excellent job of just being him. You know, catching the football, moving the chains, catching deep balls when he has to. And you know, Mooney has done a really good job just being explosive. You know, creating explosive plays for the offense, which he does very, very well. And then you know, I just want to see a little bit more out of Kyle [Pitts], because you know if he gets going and he’s just able to get out there and make plays, it will just take our offense to another level.”
While Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts may not be at the level that Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez were operating at during the 2012 NFL season, it’s fair to say that Penix will come into the season with one of the more talented group of pass-catchers that have been in Atlanta since 2012.
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