The Atlanta Falcons have questions at the wide receiver positions outside of Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu (the latter was signed from the Cincinnati Bengals during the offseason to replace Roddy White). Behind these two starters there are three receiver slots up for the taking. Justin Hardy, Aldrick Robinson, rookie Devin Fuller and Eric Weems are just a few of the players in a logjam of receivers fighting for a spot on the roster.
Atlanta’s offensive leader and signal-caller, Matt Ryan, will be looking to reach the team’s goal of consistently scoring 30 points per game this season. In order for this to happen, the offense is going to need more than just Jones to score points for them.
For an offense to have any type of success in the passing game, it must have a balanced attack. This happens when it has a solid running game.
A good problem for a team that many don’t consider however is that of having too many receivers who want the ball. This not only gives an offensive coordinator more targets for which he can design a game plan but it gives a quarterback more options in distributing the ball.
The more guys being used in an offense the more difficult it is for defensive players to zero in on just one particular individual. In 2015 the Falcons were pretty lopsided in this area and it caused their offense to be predictable at times.
Julio Jones was targeted 203 times for 136 receptions. Roddy White was the second-highest with 70 targets but only 43 catches on the year. This must drastically improve… especially if this offense wants to have any chance of scoring 30 points per game.
There is no question that the Falcons have the system under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to put up the points. But it’s going to take more than just the addition of Sanu to get this team to that point. They must have a solid group of offensive weapons who can draw the attention needed to open up the offense and force the defense key in on other players besides Jones.
It will be interesting to watch Atlanta’s receivers group battle it out during training camp and the preseason to see who makes the final cut.