The Atlanta Falcons have a major wide receiver problem on their hands. Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheus, Casey Washington, and third-round rookie Zachariah Branch are the Falcons' main depth pieces behind Drake London, but the remainder of their receiver room has left a lot to be desired.
Not only do Atlanta have a group of journeymen behind London, the sad part is that their WR depth is considerably better than it was a year ago. Guys like Deven Thompkins, Dylan Drummond, and Chris Blair should not be competing for a roster spot in the year of our lord 2026, so thankfully, there's a chance none of them make the final roster.
Drummond and Blair are more practice-squad caliber guys anyways, but Thompkins is a different story. He took over as the Falcons' primary return man after Jamal Agnew was cut, and he was actually pretty decent in that role. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he'll hold onto it much longer.
The Falcons signing star return man Keelan Marion is bad news for Deven Thompkins
Odds are that Branch takes over as the Dirty Birds' primary return man because of his ability to make guys miss, but it doesn't end there. The Falcons signed Miami wideout Keelan Marion as an undrafted free agent, and he'll offer just as much--if not more--juice than the 26-year-old on special teams.
Thompkins is a good special teamer, but Marion is a great one. He was a First Team All-American return man at BYU in 2024, recording 455 kick return yards and two touchdown and was utilized as a rusher and a receiver. He caught 21 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns and racked up an additional 80 yards and a score on the ground.
Transferring to Miami is the decision that helped his career really take off. Amid the Hurricanes' national championship run, Marion caught 57 passes for 746 yards and two touchdowns, but if you count his special teams numbers, his 1,064 all-purpose yards finished third on a team with a high-octane offense.
He also averaged 24.4 yards per kickoff return, and if you throw in his offensive versatility, it's not hard to envision him competing with Thompkins for a roster spot. He'll have a lot of competition given the rotation of UDFA receivers the Falcons signed, but it's obvious he offers more than just special teams value.
Even someone like Vinny Anthony is more valuable than the Utah State product at the bottom of the depth chart. Guys who add juice to the special teams and the offense like Marion will provide Kevin Stefanski a dual-threat weapon. Thompkins had just three receptions in 2025, so don't be surprised if one of these undrafted free agents takes his roster spot.
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