Luke Stocker was an unnecessary signing for the Atlanta Falcons
By Joe Beasley
The Atlanta Falcons re-signed tight end, Luke Stocker, for the 2020 season.
After the Atlanta Falcons had a chance to sign Everson Griffen and missed on it, they decided to sign Luke Stocker to a deal and bring him back to add depth at tight end. While having depth is always a good thing, that signing was very unnecessary.
The Atlanta Falcons have had one of their best off-seasons in recent memory. They were able to bring in Todd Gurley, cut some dead weight in Vic Beasley and Desmond Trufant, and did very well in the draft.
While the signing of Luke Stocker isn’t a huge deal, it is a questionable one.
The Falcons have some good young pieces at tight end. Hayden Hurst will be the starter and has the ability to pick up where Austin Hooper left off. Jaeden Graham played well in 2019 when Hooper was injured and should see an increased role as the second-string tight end.
Jared Pinkney and Caleb Repp are both rookies who have the upside to develop into key pieces at the tight end position. Stocker brings a veteran presence to the position but at the same time could potentially take away in-game reps at that position for those young guys, which could very well slow down development.
Atlanta Falcons still have other needs for 2020
There are still positions of need on this Atlanta Falcons roster and tight end isn’t one of them. Keanu Neal has a storied injury history and J.J. Wilcox is coming off of a torn ACL. The linebacker core is in dire need of some extra depth and what is the backup plan if Takk McKinley fails to live up to expectations or ends up injured as well?
The offensive line has been an issue in recent years and while Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom are young and talented pieces on this offensive line, everyone saw what happened at the beginning of last season due to injuries as well.
dark. Next. Atlanta Falcons uniforms look better than expected
This is not a knock against Stocker at all – a player that has been in the league for nine seasons for a reason. At this point in his career and with the current state of the Falcons, he doesn’t bring anything to the table that could help the Falcons contend for a Super Bowl. The signing of Stocker does nothing for this team but wastes a roster spot.