Falcons must take a page out of Ben Johnson's playbook with Zachariah Branch

The Atlanta Falcons had high hopes for Zachariah Branch when they drafted him in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, as explosiveness has been something their offense has been lacking for quite some time now. But unfortunately, Branch hasn't exactly lit up the stat sheet through five games.

The former Georgia standout has mainly been utilized as a return man, where his 4.35 speed has paid dividends, but we haven't seen a ton of him on offense. He's still splitting slot work with Olamide Zaccheus, and Branch has just seven touches through the first five games of his NFL career.

However, a turning point does seem to be coming.In the Week 5 loss to the Ravens, Branch turned a shallow crossing route into a play where he made a defender miss and was able to take it upfield for a 23-yard gain, so it seems the Falcons could be preparing to give him a larger role going forward.

It just so happens the Falcons will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday, where they can get a crash course in how to use their prized rookie from Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who has worked with his fair share of dynamic receivers and was in a similar boat last season with Luther Burden III.

Burden mustered just 10 touches across his first five games, which isn't much better than Branch, and he coincidentally also started the year behind Zaccheus. It was later in the year when he got to make his mark, and now Johnson has him looking like one of the NFL's brightest young wideouts. if that's what happens with ZB, I don't think anyone in Atlanta would be complaining.

Zachariah Branch could be in store for a Luther Burden-type rookie year

Between Burden, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland, this Atlanta secondary could be in for a long afternoon against the Bears on Sunday, but it should also serve as inspiration for Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees--since this offense could benefit from scheming up more touches for the 22-year-old.

The big difference between Burden (6-foot, 210 pounds) and Branch (5-foot-9, 177) is their size and where they line up on the field. The former can play both inside the slot and out while No. 17 is more of a true slot receiver, but in terms of the way an offense utilizes them, not that much is different.

In college, Branch was frequently used as a gadget player by Georgia OC Mike Bobo, which saw him lead the SEC in receptions because they wanted just to get the ball in his hands and justify the NIL money he was paid to transfer in. However, the Falcons have been willing to diversify his route tree more along the lines of what he did at USC--where he was more of a true deep threat.

One of Burden's best traits is what he does after the catch, so Johnson puts him in a lot of opportunities where Caleb Williams (or whoever starts at QB for the Bears) can just dump it off to him, and he can do the rest. But he can also test defenses downfield, usage the Dirty Birds can learn from.

Ben Johnson is one of the best offensive minds in football, so seeing the progression of what Luther Burden III has become under his tutelage (though he could ball out on Sunday) should be promising for Zachariah Branch, who should see the field more often and improve as the season progresses.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow