Atlanta Falcons: Don’t forget about tight end Jaeden Graham

Atlanta Falcons tight end Jaeden Graham has been forgotten over the last nine months.

In all the Atlanta Falcons moves over the last few months, those already on the roster have taken a back seat to the high round draft picks that have been added. While we did not see much of Jaeden Graham in 2019, what we did was impressive and adds high-quality depth to the Falcons offense.

The former Yale graduate made headlines last preseason against the Jets when he pressed the triangle button and hurdled a Jets defender. After that, he was impressive every time his name was called and ended 2019 with nine catches for 149 yards and one touchdown.

While his numbers will not make you jump out of your seat, his athleticism should. Last season when former tight end Austin Hooper missed three games, Graham stepped in and had more than a hundred yards on seven catches after being targeted by Matt Ryan 11 times.

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has had a year now to become acquainted with the skills and attributes that Graham can add to the offense and if Koetter can use just a little bit of creativity, the Falcons can do some things out of two-tight end sets, much like the Patriots use to with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Going to a small program like Yale doesn’t lend itself to NFL stardom but the Falcons have done a pretty good job of finding diamonds in the rough and that is exactly what Graham is.

There is little doubt that with a full year working with Matt Ryan and becoming acclimated to the NFL offseason programs will help Graham a ton in year two with the Atlanta Falcons. He won’t lead the league in any category but he will endear himself to Atlanta Falcons fans with his play in 2020.