Atlanta Falcons: Is adding a new Tight End really necessary?
The chatter on whether or not the Atlanta Falcons need to either sign or draft a new tight end is starting to pop up more and more and it’s time for someone to finally acknowledge if they really need one for next season or not.
The Falcons have two tight ends under contract for next season. Jacob Tamme and Levine Toilolo. With those two men already on the roster and more pressing positions of need to address, it wouldn’t be best for business to add a new TE to the roster.
More from Blogging Dirty
- Atlanta Falcons are the perfect fit for Leonard Floyd
- 3 Largest Atlanta Falcons 2023 dead cap hits
- Atlanta Falcons trade up for a quarterback in this full mock draft
- Atlanta Falcons: 3 trade packages to land first-overall pick
- 3 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t fear Derek Carr and the Saints
The Falcons are already down two draft picks for the upcoming 2016 NFL draft. They lost a fifth-round pick for their noise-gate punishment and they lost a sixth-round pick involving the trade involving left guard Andy Levitire. This leaves the Falcons with just four draft picks not including any compensatory picks and TE isn’t one of the top-4 positions that need to be addressed.
There are a few TE’s worthy of a possible contract via free agency but again, is it really necessary seeing that they need to fix a lot of gaping holes on the defense and their offensive line? Anything is possible so you cannot rule out the possibility of Atlanta adding a TE before the start of next season, but the more you look into it, the more it doesn’t look a smart Idea.
Tamme had a very good season in his first year with the Falcons. He had career-high receiving yards with 657 and averaged a 11.1 yards per catch good enough for second highest in his 8-year career.
Toilolo on the other hand hasn’t been very good in his 3-year career after getting drafted in hopes of replacing the great Tony Gonzalez but that hasn’t worked out whatsoever. Toilolo was replaced as the starting TE in 2015 with Tamme and his career with the Falcons is all but done.
Both men will be unrestricted free agents in the spring of 2017 which means that the Falcons will without a doubt need to address the position in one year’s time. They either need to re-sign Tamme to another 2-year deal or go out and get them a future player.
Either way, they don’t need to waste a draft pick or waste any money for 2016 on a new TE. Waiting another year will suite them just fine.