There have been a lot of changes in one year for the Atlanta Falcons, especially on the offense
You know it by now, the Atlanta Falcons have experienced a lot of changes over the years, and nothing shows that more than the offense.
Going back to the Super Bowl team in 2016-2017, which really wasn’t that long ago, there are only three players remaining from that team, those being Jake Matthews, Grady Jarrett, and Deion Jones. If you would have told someone back then that that would be the case, they would have likely laughed at you.
Surely, we all expected Julio Jones and Matt Ryan to be here past 2021, not to mention guys like Vic Beasley — who was the NFL’s sack leader that year — Alex Mack, Devonta Freeman, and many others, but here we are.
That was over the course of about four years, but even since last season ended this roster looks vastly different. Just consider the fact that there is only one wide receiver who took the field for this team last season that will be playing in week one…..
Now, more than ever, seems like the best time to put each of these positions from 2021 and 2022 up against each other to see which year holds the advantage individually and as a whole.
For technicality purposes, please note that while each NFL season consists of two calendar years, in this article 2021 obviously refers to last season, while 2022 refers to this season that will kick off soon. We will also be using the opening day roster from 2021 to compare to the current roster.
Atlanta Falcons 2021 offensive line:
- LT: Jake Matthews
- LG: Jalen Mayfield
- C: Matt Hennessy
- RG: Chris Lindstrom
- RT: Kaleb McGary
- Depth: Jason Spriggs, Colby Gossett, Drew Dalman
Atlanta Falcons 2022 offensive line:
- LT: Jake Matthews
- LG: Elijah Wilkinson
- C: Matt Hennessy
- RG: Chris Lindstrom
- RT: Kaleb McGary
- Depth: Chuma Edoga, Germain Ifedi, Colby Gossett, Drew Dalman
The starting line for the Atlanta Falcons is largely the same, other than the switch from Jalen Mayfield to Elijah Wilkinson, which can only help this team to put it bluntly.
Chris Lindstrom has improved each and every year, and as he draws closer to hopefully signing a long-term contract he should continue his climb into being one of the absolute best offensive guards in the league.
We don’t quite know for sure if Matt Hennessy or Drew Dalman will be starting but we can obviously assume that the better of the two will play from snap one.
Chuma Edoga, Germain Ifedi, and Kaleb McGary have all been talked about as potential starters, and you certainly have to like the situation this year at tackle a little bit more than last year. There is just more legit competition.
In the end, they aren’t starting Jalen Mayfield which gives the advantage to this year’s group.
Advantage: 2022 offensive line
Atlanta Falcons 2021 tight ends:
- Kyle Pitts
- Hayden Hurst
- Lee Smith
Atlanta Falcons 2022 tight ends:
- Kyle Pitts
- Parker Hesse
- Feleipe Franks
Well, at least the Atlanta Falcons still have Kyle Pitts who can be the best in the league.
Having Hayden Hurst last year was very beneficial for a team that relies on tight ends. While he might not have been healthy for a chunk of the season or put up crazy stats, he was a threat that was talented enough to draw some eyes away from Kyle Pitts.
Parker Hesse took over for Hurst during his injury. He played about how you would expect but it is clear that the Falcons’ head coach thinks highly of him. The concern is whether or not he can be a threat as a receiver.
The other concern is who will be their reliable blocking tight end, especially now that John FitzPatrick is on IR?
So, this year’s group doesn’t have that clear blocker like they had with Lee Smith last year and they don’t have that proven playmaker outside of Kyle Pitts like they had with Hayden Hurst. That could be a problem.
Hesse is a decent receiver and a good blocker and with Feleipe Franks we have absolutely no idea what to expect from him this year.
Advantage: 2021 tight ends
Atlanta Falcons 2021 wide receivers:
- Calvin Ridley
- Russell Gage
- Olamide Zaccheaus
- Tajae Sharpe
- Christian Blake
- Frank Darby
Atlanta Falcons 2022 wide receivers:
- Drake London
- Bryan Edwards
- Olamide Zaccheaus
- KhaDarel Hodge
- Damiere Byrd
- Jared Bernhardt
This is a difficult position to compare for the Atlanta Falcons. There are just so many arguments and counter-arguments you can make for each group.
Calvin Ridley wasn’t great when he played last year but we know what he can be and that is a superstar, but can we say that we wouldn’t rather have Drake London at this point? Certainly, you cannot blame either decision.
Then you have Russell Gage and Bryan Edwards, personally, I’ll take Bryan Edwards because he can be a better number two receiver than Gage ever was. No disrespect to Russell because he is an excellent player, but he fits the role of a third receiver, while Edwards can be a consistent threat outside. It just felt like Gage shouldn’t have been expected to be anything more than one of the best third-string receivers in the league.
The depth isn’t anything special for either side. Tajae Sharpe was not anything special while Christian Blake continued his trend of getting playing time but doing nothing with it, so give me Hodge and Byrd.
With the top guys on each side being a difficult comparison, it is the depth that sways in favor of 2022.
Advantage: 2022 wide receivers
Atlanta Falcons 2021 running backs:
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Mike Davis
- Wayne Gallman
- Keith Smith
Atlanta Falcons 2022 running backs:
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Damien Williams
- Tyler Allgeier
- Avery Williams
- Keith Smith
Okay, there is a clear winner here for the Atlanta Falcons and I think most people can figure out which one it is.
No need to go over Cordarrelle Patterson who was a revelation last season and should play well once again this year.
Remember when so many people were hyped for Mike Davis being the lead runner for the Falcons? Yeah, that turned out just great. Certainly, we all would rather have Damien Williams at this point, Davis didn’t exactly leave a great taste in anyone’s mouth but wish the best for him in Baltimore, who seemingly always takes “washed up” running backs from Atlanta.
While Wayne Gallman was solid when given the ball, Tyler Allgeier has the potential. Again, doesn’t take an expert to pick Allgeier in this case, even if Gallman was the higher drafted running back.
And the addition of Avery Williams only adds to the fact that the Falcons running backs in 2022 are clearly better.
Advantage: 2022 running backs
Atlanta Falcons 2021 quarterbacks:
- Matt Ryan
- Josh Rosen
- Feleipe Franks
Atlanta Falcons 2022 quarterbacks:
- Marcus Mariota
- Desmond Ridder
- Feleipe Franks
Deciding this one might actually be the toughest decision on the entire Atlanta Falcons roster.
Matt Ryan is an all-time great, no questions asked, and he is clearly the better pure quarterback, however, Mariota is a much better fit for this scheme, on paper.
With Mariota we do not know what he will be, he could be more of the same from his days with the Titans, or he could be the guy we have watched in preseason.
So, would you rather have a quarterback who is far and away more established and just a better quarterback, or the guy who has more potential in this specific scheme?
It is a difficult answer, you lean toward the scheme but it still just feels totally wrong to pick Marcus Mariota over Matt Ryan. In the end, I would still give the slight advantage to Matt Ryan because you know that you have a quarterback who is an all-time great and can carve up a defense, compared to the unknowns of Mariota.
The clear winner when it comes to backups is Desmond Ridder. Sure, Josh Rosen was a top-ten pick but it is safe to say he has been a complete bust. With Ridder, we saw some elite talent during the preseason, something we never saw from Rosen.
Overall, the slight edge goes to the starter because after all, the starting quarterback is the one who goes out there each and every week without question, and with Matt Ryan, you have a guy who rarely misses games. You have to place a lot more value on the guy at the top of the depth chart when talking about quarterbacks.