The Atlanta Falcons' return game has been lacking for a couple of years. After Avery Williams' excellent 2022 punt-return season, in which he averaged almost three more yards than second-placed Tremon Williams, the unit has hurt the team.
That is why the third-round selection of Zachariah Branch in the most recent NFL Draft was so major. Not only does he provide potential on offense, but he can undoubtedly turn into one of the league's best special teamers.
The battle, while still technically ongoing, is clearly decided before training camp concludes.
Zachariah Branch has had the Atlanta Falcons' return job on lock since Day 1
Any Georgia Bulldogs fan knows Branch was underutilized. The quick playmaker had more potential than just being a behind-the-line receiver and an occasional return man -- that is why the Falcons are ecstatic to have him in the building.
During his lone season at UGA, he returned 15 punts for 180 yards and 10 kicks for 205 yards. Those 12 and 20.5-yard averages can improve in the NFL with consistent work and professional coaching.
Before he decided that he didn't like USC's no-working-out-in-the-night policy, he showed even more potential as a special teamer. He led the Pac-12 as a freshman with 332 return yards on just 16 chances, with 24 returns for 442 yards. He had a touchdown in both areas.
His stats fell as a sophomore, but I think we have cemented the point -- this guy is the team's returner as a rookie. Per Atlantafalcons.com's Tori McElhaney, Branch has split return reps with two different players: but this competition is starting to feel like his to lose.
"Three players continue to take the bulk of return reps," McElhaney wrote. "During that same punting period, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zachariah Branch and Dylan Drummond rotated as the return man."
Neither of those guys provides the same explosiveness both horizontally and vertically. Not to mention, Zaccheaus will be relied on early with his veteran prowess, and Drummond isn't guaranteed a roster spot.
The interesting thing will be how they handle this if Branch sets himself apart as an important offensive piece. We have seen in the past that teams aren't willing to risk injury to important pieces on special teams.
The best example of that is Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs used him as an All-Pro returner early in his career, but they abandoned that role when he became too important to risk. So what happens if the rookie turns into a Hill-like threat early on?
Honestly, with how this unit has performed the past two years, they should consider cementing him as the return man no matter what. Atlanta finished last in yards per kickoff return (22.8) and 27th in yards per punt return (7). In 2024, they were middle of the pack in both categories.
We saw last year how deadly bad field position can be to an offense, especially for this team. The Falcons should do everything it takes to flip that -- and penciling Zachariah Branch in as the return man is the quickest way to do that.
Add us as a preferred source on Google