Three players the Atlanta Falcons cannot afford to opt-out in 2020.
When you talk about three players that the Atlanta Falcons cannot afford to opt-out in 2020, it would be really easy to say Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Grady Jarrett and that would be correct. Those are your captains and the guys that you have built around to be successful.
However, there are three other Atlanta Falcons players that are equally important to the success of the 2020 season and it is paramount that they not opt-out once the NFL and NFLPA sign there agreement after the weekend.
As we wrote yesterday, running back Todd Gurley is thinking about opting out if he doesn’t like the safety measures in place, which is understandable given the ever-changing nature of what we are dealing with in regards to the worldwide pandemic.
We would all agree that the Falcons offense potentially suffers without Gurley in 2020 but with Ito Smith, Brian Hill, and Qadree Ollison coming back, it would not hurt nearly as much as losing several other players on the roster.
Alex Mack
The Atlanta Falcons don’t have any experience behind Alex Mack and losing him would be disastrous for the offense.
We all saw the difference in Matt Ryan’s play since Alex Mack was signed as an unrestricted free agent. The confidence that Matt has knowing he won’t get hit from the middle has allowed him to flourish even more that he did the first seven years of his career.
Sure, the Atlanta Falcons spent a draft pick on Matt Hennessy out of Temple with the hope that he will eventually replace Alex Mack but that doesn’t mean it needs to happen in 2020. Mack and Jake Matthews are the most important pieces to the Falcons offensive line that should be much improved in 2020.
With all the playmakers on offense, losing Alex Mack would be detrimental to the offenses ability to play with the fluidity that they need in order to be successful in 2020.
Deion Jones
Deion is the best cover linebacker in the NFL and that is despite having a quiet year in 2019. The defense was essentially all Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones.
Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff did a great job of surrounding Jones with talents such as Deone Bucannon and Marlon Davidson as well as getting Keanu Neal back from a major injury that will allow Jones to play free from his middle linebacker spot and that will be a scary thing for opposing offenses.
With all the offensive talent in the NFC South – Christian McCaffrey, Rob Gronkowski, and Alvin Kamara among others – Deion is going to be very important to the success of first-year defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and what he wants to do scheme-wise.
Should Jones decide that opting out is what is best for him, it would leave the Atlanta Falcons in a world of hurt and there isn’t anyone on this roster or from a free agent standpoint that could fill the void that he would leave in 2020.
Dante Fowler Jr
We have no idea which Dante Fowler the Atlanta Falcons are getting in 2020. Will they get the 2019 version that had 11.5 sacks or will they get the draft bust that the Jaguars were happy to trade to the Rams?
The Atlanta Falcons are obviously hoping that they get the 2019 version and that playing next to another dominant defensive tackle like he had in LA will help facilitate that success.
Fowler was brought in here to help resurrect a Falcons defensive line that has not produced much of anything over the last decade. He was brought in to help the Falcons defense get to 40 sacks for the first time since 2004 and to help take some pressure off of Grady Jarrett on the defensive line. As disruptive as Jarrett is, he has not gotten many opportunities to face anything less than a double team because opposing teams haven’t had to focus on anyone else.
If Fowler decides to opt-out in 2020, it would be no different than if Ryan, Julio, Jarrett, Mack or Deion Jones, the Falcons would be unable to replace him and it would leave a huge void on the defense and would be a big hole in the scheme that Morris has planned for 2020.
Of course, these guys are human like the rest of us and it is understandable should they decide to opt-out but from a football standpoint, it would leave the Falcons in a world of hurt for 2020.