Atlanta Falcons Depth: Only two position groups have enough talent

Looking over the Atlanta Falcons roster, it becomes very apparent that there are only two positions with decent NFL depth.

We all know that Atlanta Falcons have a long way to go to become contenders not just for the NFC crown but even their own division. While roster and limits and a salary cap hinder how much elite depth teams can have, the Falcons must become deeper across the board.

To do that, first-year general manager Terry Fontenot and his staff must do what former general manager Thomas Dimitroff could not – draft well and attract upper echelon free agents at the right price.

Depth will be an issue in 2021 for the Atlanta Falcons

When looking at this roster, the Atlanta Falcons have depth in two spots – wide receiver and tight end. There is no depth up front on either side of the ball and while many other positions have very good talent to start, there is no depth – linebacker, defensive line, secondary, and running back.

Depth at quarterback is a non-issue for most teams as very few teams lose a starting quarterback and end up good. You can count on one hand the number of times a backup quarterback has stepped in and led a team to something big in the NFL.

Looking at tight-end, the Atlanta Falcons very easily could carry four different players in 2021 – Lee Smith, Jaeden Graham, Hayden Hurst, and fourth overall pick Kyle Pitts. The odd man out at this point is going to be a second-year tight end, Parker Hesse, out of Iowa – who spent the last two seasons in Nashville on the Titans practice squad.

Of course, the Atlanta Falcons are loaded at receiver, even after trading Julio Jones to the Titans and losing unrestricted free agent Laquon Treadwell to the Jaguars.

We know Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, Christian Blake, and Olamide Zaccheaus but they also drafted Frank Darby out of Arizona State, Tajae Sharpe who followed Smith from the Titans and has proven to be a pretty good third option recording 92 catches for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns in 51 games for the Titans.

There will also be an opportunity for UDFA receivers Austin Trammell, Antonio Nunn, Chris Rowland, and Juwan Green to make this team as well.

Matt Ryan may not have anyone to block for him in 2021, but he sure does have a plethora of options to try and get the ball to.

If Fontenot can draft well and stack this roster with young and talented depth over the next couple of offseasons, the Atlanta Falcons can come out of this rebuild and be contenders sooner than many might think.