The Atlanta Falcons should bring back Hayden Hurst next season

One Atlanta Falcons free agent that is going to fly under the radar this off-season is tight-end Hayden Hurst. With Younghoe Koo and Cordarrell Patterson set to hit free agency Hurst could easily become overlooked in a list of Atlanta’s off-season decisions.

Hayden Hurst had a season to forget that saw the tight-end suffer huge regression with only 221-receiving yards. Hurst did remain a red-zone weapon catching three touchdowns and consistently blocking in the run game.

In the 2020 season, Atlanta saw what Hurst was capable of with Hayden catching 6-touchdowns and adding in 571-receiving yards in his best season to date. This season was a down year for the entire Atlanta offense, not just Hurst, and could leave Hayden as a bargain in free agency.

Despite his struggles this season the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t hesitate to bring back Hayden Hurst

It seems likely Lee Smith is headed into retirement leaving the Atlanta Falcons with Kyle Pitts as the only tight-end sure to be on the roster next season. Pitts isn’t a prototypical tight-end and Atlanta will need to sign or draft at least two players at the position.

Hurst is an easy fix who has chemistry with Matt Ryan and can find his 2020 success once again. In year two with Arthur Smith and with better talent around him there is no reason to think that Hurst cannot improve his production.

Even if Hurst only marginally improves he still appears to be a great locker room player and will be an asset to the Falcons. Re-signing Hurst certainly isn’t a priority for Atlanta but if he is willing to return it should be an early off-season move.

Hayden’s ability and willingness to block is much needed on a team that has a lot of undersized targets.  Losing Hurst doesn’t harm the Falcons horribly but it would be an underrated loss the Falcons can easily avoid for a player whose market should be very affordable. It is obvious the right move for Atlanta is re-signing the big tight-end and keeping a player that fits nicely with Kyle Pitts.