5 free agents the Atlanta Falcons must keep in 2022

3. Russell Gage Jr.

The wide receivers currently eligible to play for the Falcons in 2022 comprise of the following names: Frank Darby, Austin Trammell, Chad Hansen.

Olamide Zaccheaus and Christian Blake are restricted free agents, but it’s likely we’ll see both return in 2022.

The key takeaway here is that the Falcons simply do not have anyone you’d consider reliable enough to take on the role of a starting wide receiver in 2022. With that in mind, Russell Gage needs to come back.

Gage had a bit of a step back in 2021. Yes, his season was disrupted by injury, and, yes, he wasn’t helped by being thrust into the role of WR1. As talented as he is, even the most hardened Gage-head would agree his skillset is better suited to playing as a WR3 or slot guy. But, similar to Cordarrelle Patterson, what Gage brings is familiarity. His 770 receiving yards were good for the second-most by a Falcons receiver in 2021.

While that’s hardly impressive, it’s not bad going given the attention he was awarded thanks to the lack of viable weapons elsewhere.

The worst thing for a rookie receiver, or a receiver attempting to make a name for themselves on a new team, is to be given too much too quickly.

The Falcons, as it stands, are set to ask a collection of new faces to operate at a competitive level. The offense will require familiarity in order to succeed in the early blows of the season. Russell Gage would be the ideal safety blanket to help navigate that period.