When the 2022 NFL season rolls around, every Falcons preview will begin with the fact that Matt Ryan is no longer under center, but are the masses overlooking what the front office has done to rebuild the roster this offseason?
With all eyes seemingly fixated on Marcus Mariota, Chris Thomas and Beau Morgan are asking fans to take a step back from the quarterback position and look at the upgrades made in several other areas of need in Atlanta.
“People have definitely missed a lot of the moves this team has made, and it seems like the one thing we know is Matt Ryan’s not here. For half the fanbase, they’re probably happy and the other half is like ‘we’re in trouble,’ but [the Falcons] have upgraded in a lot of areas,” Morgan said.
Filling on the Midday Show on 92.9 The Game, Morgan added the Falcons have not only improved in the defensive backfield with CB Casey Hayward and at the wide receiver position with the addition of Drake London and Bryan Edwards, but the team has also created competition at critical positions along both the offensive and defensive lines, not to mention the resigning of DT Grady Jarrett.
The Falcons pass rush was statically the worst in the league in 2021 with just 18 sacks, leading to the selection of Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie and Western Kentucky’s DeAngelo Malone in the NFL Draft. Lorenzo Carter was also signed as a free agent to bolster the rush.
Running back is another position where the Falcons are hoping that competition breads results with the acquisition of Damien Williams in free agency and Tyler Allgeier in the draft to compliment Cordarrelle Patterson. Overall, Morgan likes what he sees at this point in the offseason.
“I do think this team, on paper. looks better than the one we had last year. The big thing is the quarterback spot,” he said.
If the pieces around him come together, Thomas is confident that Mariota can have a productive second act of his career here in Atlanta.
“I think Mariota can still play…he’s young, he’s athletic, he’s got a good arm—not a great arm—and he’s a smart kid. Given the right circumstances, I think he can be fine,” he said.
Mariota is the presumed starting quarterback at this point, but we’ll have to wait and see if 3rd round pick Desmond Ridder can push for the role of QB1 when training camp arrives.
The Falcons over/under for 2022 is 4.5 wins as the calendar turns to June, and with the retooling of the roster that has taken place, it doesn’t seem outlandish to believe that Atlanta will have a chance to surpass that number.
