It’s time for Russell Gage to shine for the Atlanta Falcons
By Joe Beasley
Third-year Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage will get an opportunity to shine in 2020.
The Atlanta Falcons front office has quietly assembled a great offense during the offseason. It’s safe to say the Falcons have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal. We know what Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Todd Gurley when healthy brings to the table.
The question now is which one of the younger players will burst out into the scene and make a name for themselves. That player is Russell Gage.
Gage didn’t have the eye-popping numbers coming out of LSU. Over the course of the last eight games of the season, Gage had more receiving yards than he did during his entire career at LSU.
The Atlanta Falcons coaching staff isn’t expecting for Gage to put up all-world numbers and he doesn’t have to. What he can do is produce when his name is called and the offense will be that much better. With defenses keying in on the likes of Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, Gage will have his opportunities.
More than the Atlanta Falcons bargained for.
When Ridley got injured last year, Gage stepped in and did a great job. Over the last two games of the season, he averaged six catches and 59 yards. Over the course of 16 games, that equals out to 96 catches and 944 yards.
Being the third receiver on a team makes the likelihood of Gage getting those types of numbers slim to none but what it does show is that Gage can be another reliable receiver for Matt Ryan. Gage will have to split touches with Hayden Hurst as well as a few guys behind him on the depth chart like Laquon Treadwell and Olamide Zaccheaus.
If Gage plays well this season and continues to get better, the Atlanta Falcons are going to have a dangerous trio of receivers that the NFL has to deal with. If Gage develops could this trio be as good as the Roddy White/Julio Jones/Harry Douglas trio?
Next. Six Atlanta Falcons that can be traded by trade deadline. dark
Could Gage be the third receiver the Atlanta Falcons have been looking for since they traded Mohamed Sanu? Only time will tell but one thing for sure, it’s time for Russell Gage to shine.