The Atlanta Falcons had a clear goal in mind this offseason. That was to add as many offensive weapons to the roster as possible.
According to Pro Football Focus, though, general manager Terry Fontenot may not have added enough.
On PFF’s annual NFL receiving corps rankings, analyst Trevor Sikkema rated the Falcons’ wideout group at No. 24.
“It’s a limited pass-catching group in Atlanta, but the two guys they lean on the most, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, have the talent to make it a decent passing attack,” wrote Sikkema.
“London earned a team-high 85.3 receiving grade in 2022, with 866 receiving yards. Pitts didn’t have as many receiving yards as he did the previous season, but he was an even bigger part of the offense, having been targeted on 26.5% of his routes.
“Throw in whatever Bijan Robinson will give them in the passing game, and they have some good players, albeit a shallow number of good players.”
If Sikkema was only considering receivers for his ranking list, it’d be understandable to see the Falcons at No. 24. The Falcons have two receivers who posted more than 300 receiving yards last season.
But Sikkema clearly took into account other pass-catchers such as rookie running back Bijan Robinson. The No. 8 overall pick is already looking like a versatile weapon for the Falcons passing game.
Not to mention, the Falcons also have offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson. He can line up as a receiver with Robinson in the backfield or vice versa.
That should help hide the team’s lack of depth at receiver. So should the tight ends. Head coach Arthur Smith could deploy Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith at the same time in two tight-end sets.
At receiver, the Falcons signed Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller to supplement Drake London, who recorded 866 receiving yards as a rookie. Hollins had 57 catches for 690 yards with the Las Vegas Raiders last year.
The Falcons also signed Penny Hart as a depth receiver.
Atlanta’s pass-catching group may be top heavy as Sikkema described. But it’s a group that has the talent to make a significantly climb up PFF’s receiving corps rankings before next summer.
