With the trade deadline approaching, acquiring wide receivers drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has become all the rage. The Houston Texans acquired No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. from Arizona, and a scenery change has started to unlock his potential--which could see another third-year wideout follow suit and get dealt--and the Atlanta Falcons could be a landing spot for him.
While Harrison was a sacrificial "X" with the Cardinals, the reunion with his former college quarterback C.J. Stroud has taken pressure off of Nico Collins and ignited Houston's passing game, and we know what Thomas Jr. can do after he caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie.
But ever since then, his career has flatlined, He hasn't been a fit for Liam Coen's system, and it seems that Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, and Josh Cameron have lapped him in the receiving pecking order and Trevor Lawrence also prefers to target Brenton Strange and Bhayshul Tuten over him.
BTJ has failed to record a reception in each of the last two games and did not play a single snap in the second half of Jacksonville's 34-31 overseas loss to the Houston Texans in Week 6. He keeps getting phased out which has frustrated fantasy managers begging for a trade to materialize.
The Jaguars keep stating they have no plans to trade him because he's a solid run blocker, we know how the NFL world works. If they get an offer good enough, they'll trade their young wideout who is still dealing with a lack of confidence. But would the Falcons actually provide that offer?
Would the Atlanta Falcons actually trade for Brian Thomas Jr. at the deadline?
For the right price, it would be foolish to count out new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham because he isn't exactly scared to make big moves. So in the event that Thomas Jr. does get moved, the Falcons have come up in rumors as a possible destination--and they would be an interesting fit.
Michael Penix Jr. is one of the better deep-ball throwers in the NFL, which would be ideal for a 23-year-old with blazing speed and 2+ more years of club control, but that's about it. Atlanta already has an X receiver with the ability to move around the formation in Drake London, and while that would be a dangerous pass-catching duo, how reliable is he as a field stretcher at this point?
This is a move the Falcons are going to have to think about, but frankly, I'm not sure it's a match made in heaven the way Marv going to Houston was. This guy got lapped by a sixth-round rookie in one of the better offenses in the NFL, so Cunningham would be better off staying away from this landmine.
The Atlanta Falcons have no business acquiring Brian Thomas Jr. at the trade deadline
For starters, the Dirty Birds are currently 2-4 and it would be foolish for them to be buyers at the deadline when they can just draft additional wide receiver depth or use their 2027 cap space to do so. Elite deep threats grow on trees nowadays, and struggling WRs are awfully replaceable.
The main reason the Falcons don't have to bet on Brian Thomas Jr. is because of their current receiver room. Jahan Dotson has been a pleasant surprise of late, becoming a preferred downfield threat for Penix as he's surpassed 54 or more receiving yards in three straight games after a slow start to the season. And Thomas Jr. would basically be asked to play the same role Dotson does.
They do the same things. The former first-round pick is asked to be a deep threat meant to take pressure off of Drake London, and he's looked great since Michael Penix Jr. has returned. At that point it makes more sense to keep all your draft picks and roll with Dotson over Thomas because despite only having two more catches than BTJ, he's got more than twice as many yards.
It's a sad story. Imagine telling a Falcons fan two years ago that Brian Thomas Jr. was not only available for trade, but that a trade wouldn't even be worth it would sound insane. And while Atlanta could use more depth at wideout, you don't want someone siphoning snaps from Dotson and Zachariah Branch or having to bring in someone you'd have to break the bank for.
Ian Cunningham and James Gladstone have already made one trade together, but it doesn't seem like we're about to get a second. Brian Thomas Jr. isn't the sort of trade deadline splash the Falcons would make, because unlike Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Texans, only he needs the scenery change.
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