Who is next man up for the Atlanta Falcons after Mohamed Sanu trade?

The Atlanta Falcons traded Mohamed Sanu to the Patriots that has left a quite sizable hole on the offensive side.

The question now is who is going to step up for the Atlanta Falcons and be that dependable third receiver behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley?

It might not seem like it because of Julio’s gaudy stats each season but Matt Ryan has been known to spread the ball around to his other pass catchers. With Ryan possibly out and Matt Schaub starting in his place, the ball might now be spread around as much but the Falcons need one of their young guns to step up.

Russell Gage is an unknown to the casual football fan. He’s very explosive and quick and while he didn’t have the best numbers coming out of LSU, he could develop into a dependable receiver.

There have been plenty of solids receivers who have come out of LSU in recent memory like Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and DJ Shark but the Falcons aren’t asking him to be that type of player which could make things easier for him. If he doesn’t develop into someone that’s serviceable for the team, Gage could end up being a steal. If not, then Justin Hardy could fill that void as well.

Justin Hardy has the most experience out of the two and while he didn’t play college ball at the biggest school, there is a reason he’s still in the NFL. Hardy has the most experience with the team, which could give him a heads up over Gage. He’s not as explosive as Gage but he already has the chemistry with the offense.

Overall, both have similar targets on the season from Matt Ryan, Hardy has more catches and more yards, but Gage is averaging more yards per catch. Both will get a chance to establish themselves as the new number three on this team moving forward and the battle should be fun to watch.

Don’t expect Gage or Hardy to get touches over Julio, Ridley and Austin Hooper but if they can establish themselves and be consistent for this offense, the blow of losing Sanu won’t be as bad.