In the wake of the news of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, being suspended by the NFL for the 2022 season, the Falcons now find themselves in desperate need for a number one wide receiver. When Atlanta decided to move on from Julio Jones and made the trade to send him to the Tennessee Titans back in June of 2021, all eyes were set on Ridley as expectations were for him to take on the WR1 role. Ridley played in five games for the Falcons this past season and despite his less than desirably production, expectations for the 2018 first round pick were still high.
Fast forward to Monday’s news of Ridley’s suspension, the Falcons find themselves without out a number one receiver as the start of the 2022 season approaches and now their approach to the upcoming draft and free agency will more than likely detour from their plan. As far as free agency goes, Ridley’s suspension frees up $11.1 million for the Falcons and puts them about $3.8 million under the cap, so if your hopes that maybe Atlanta could go after a Mike Williams (Chargers) or Amari Cooper (Cowboys) type wide receiver, then you may be reaching too far as they are both expected to make about $17 million wherever they sign for next season, meaning the Falcons would be around $14 million over the cap.
It is not to say that the Falcons could not fill the void left by Ridley’s suspension if they wanted to look towards free agency.
Pittsburg Steelers wide receiver, JuJu Smith Schuster, who was drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft, is ranked in the top 15 in third down receptions among wide receivers since being drafted. The Falcons ranked 19th with a 38.86% third down conversion rating in the 2021 season, so despite Schuster’s overall production being down due to injury since his second season in which he totaled 1426 receiving yards, he still proves to have enough value for the Falcons to bring in and give Matt Ryan some reliable hands to count on.
Now the Falcons could take the money from Ridley’s suspension and use it to help bring back a current player on their roster back like Cordarrelle Patterson and address their wide receiver needs in the draft in which they have one first round pick and two second round picks and one pick in each the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. It is no secret that the Falcons have plenty of needs to address, most notably the offensive line and pass rushing, however, Ridley’s suspension now adds high priority to the receiver room for Atlanta and impacts how they will approach the draft.
While the Falcons have the eighth overall pick in the upcoming draft, it is highly unlikely that they would use that pick to go after a wide receiver and with many mock drafts having Garrett Wilson out of Ohio State being the first receiver to come off the board by pick 11. So should the Falcons wait to use one of their two second round picks to fill their wide receiver void, they could set their sights on the likes of George Pickens out of Georgia, should he still be available or Jahan Dotson out of Ohio State. Although injured in 2021 and only playing in four games, Pickens has drawn comparisons to Keenan Allen. Dotson, a smaller receiver at 5-11, has gained positive feedback because of his quickness and body control. It is safe to say that the next few weeks are going to be important for Falcons' brass as they face the decision on whether or not to address Ridley's void in the draft or free agency.
