With Drake London sidelined against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, it exposed the Atlanta Falcons' glaring need at receiver even further. In the 34-10 loss, Darnell Mooney, KhaDarrel Hodge, Casey Washington, and David Sills V combined for less than 100 receiving yards as Kyle Pitts led the team in receiving for the second straight week.
The depth behind London is bleak, and it should lead GM Terry Fontenot to continue looking into the WR market before the trade deadline. It was reported earlier this week that while a trade was unlikely, the Jacksonville Jaguars are willing to listen to offers on star wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. before the deadline—and he would be the perfect fit.
The second-year standout was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, but his lack of rapport with Trevor Lawrence and drop issues have Jacksonville considering cutting ties. However, Jags general manager James Gladstone will more than likely want a first-round pick, and Atlanta doesn't have the draft capital to meet that request.
The Falcons' don't have a first-round pick to trade for Brian Thomas Jr.
The Falcons traded their 2026 first-round pick to move up for James Pearce Jr., so unless you want Fontenot to bow out of picking in the first round until 2028, a trade is highly unlikely. The move was bold at the time, and it's looking like an even bigger mistake now.
He's shown flashed of immense potential throughout his rookie season, but the sack numbers aren't where fans expected. Despite that, the explosiveness that made him such a problem at Tennessee has been on display, and has logged 12 pressures on the year.
While Jeff Ulbrich's unit was missing both Divine Deablo and Jalon Walker in Week 8, the 21-year-old played a lot more outside linebacker. The 21-year-old played a season-high 49 snaps against the Dolphins, and according to Pro Football, his 67.7 pass rush grade in Week 8 marked the second highest grade of his career.
With that said, the trade doesn't look bad, but it reeks of missed opportunity. As it stands, the pick Fontenot dealt would be the No. 11 pick in the 2026 Draft, which isn't remotely worth the return on investment from acquiring pick No. 26.
Thomas Jr. caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, and most of that was done with Lawrence sidelined. But now that. the Jags have rookie sensation Travis Hunter finally blossoming, its starting to make BTJ expendable—and Fontenot has boxed the Falcons into a corner.
The LSU product looks poised to become one of the best receivers in football, and would almost certainly be one of the biggest names moved at the deadline. Unfortunately, it's just a pipe dream, as teams like the Giants, Bills, and Patriots could absolutely out-bid Atlanta if talks intensified.
It isn't all bad, as Pearce has helped an anchor a much-improved Falcons' pass rush, but Fontenot needs to make a move to set Michael Penix Jr. up for long-term success.