Atlanta Falcons: Will opposing tight ends be their Achilles heel?

It’s never wise to panic following one preseason game, but the trouble the Atlanta Falcons had covering some unknown tight ends in Miami raises some flags

Looking too much into a team’s performance in Week 1 of the preseason may not be the best idea, but there still are plenty of nuggets that can be valuable. For the Atlanta Falcons, despite losing 23-20 there were some good things which included 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan looking sharp in his brief appearance at quarterback. He was 3-of-3 passing, including a touchdown to recently re-signed running back Devonta Freeman.

As for the bad, that would have to be how they struggled to cover the middle of the field as the Miami tight ends were finding plenty of room to operate. With projected starter Julius Thomas sitting out, Marqueis Gray played very well. He hauled in three passes on four targets, with his only incompletion coming on an un-catchable pass by backup (to the backup) quarterback Brandon Doughty. Gray finished with 26 yards on those three receptions, but it was the ease he found openings despite playing against starters that causes concern.

After he sat down, Thomas Duarte continued to find openings. The 2016 seventh-round pick also found openings against the Falcons reserves. Despite having zero career stats, Duarte brought in three catches (also on four targets) for 19 yards.

Neither player is a household name, and Gray — a former undrafted free agent — has bounced from the San Francisco 49ers to the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills before joining the Dolphins this season. All that is to say that it wasn’t exactly Martellus Bennett or Rob Gronkowski running routes.

Next: Atlanta Falcons: What To Watch For This Preseason

It’s just one game, and defenses usually don’t game plan too much in preseason. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on as the preseason continues especially considering how much hype there has been around this revamped, young defense.