Atlanta Falcons 2023 Training Camp Preview
Back-to-back 7-10 seasons have found the Falcons stuck in mediocrity. Arguably the worst position for a franchise to be in. Not good enough to compete for a championship but never bad enough to have a top-three pick and draft your franchise guy. The Falcons have boasted an elite run game in years past but a lack of a true QB has seemingly held them back.
Is this the year Desmond Ridder finally breaks out and becomes a true QB1? Can Bijan Robinson really come in and take this offense to another level? Or will it be another year in which the Falcons’ defense prevents them from any real success? Let’s try and find out.
Three Position Battles to Watch
Quarterback: Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke
It’s never the position you want to have a battle. The saying goes, if you have two QBs then you don’t really have one. As of now, the Falcons have two QBs who could be starting come week one of the season. Fans and the front office have been waiting for Ridder to break out. Last year in four games he completed 63% of his passes for two TDs and no INTs. He showed signs of potentially being the future of the Falcons but has yet to truly put it all together. In comes Taylor Heinicke during the offseason. While not a true franchise QB, someone who has shown the ability to start in this league and win games. Personally, I think Ridder should be the choice, at least see what you have in him over the course of a season. If he’s going to break out it’s going to be this year, don’t prevent that by starting a stopgap QB.
Runningback: Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Cordarlle Patterson
Now we get to the true strength of this Atlanta Falcons team. That being the extremely versatile backfield that has been created. Tyler Allgeier impressed last year as a rookie picking 4.9 yards per carry to give him 1035 on the year. He also showed his value as a receiver hauling in 16 catches for 139 yards and one more TD. Cordarrelle Patterson also continued to show the value he can bring to the team. While not as impressive as his 2021 campaign, he still notched 695 rushing yards with 122 receiving yards and eight TDs. This is why people were surprised to see the Falcons select Bijan Robinson with their first pick, improving an already impressive backfield. Robinson almost certainly will be taking over the starting role meaning either Allgeier or Patterson will have to take a back seat. Interesting for the Falcons to continue to avoid addressing their bad defense, but maybe Bijan really has been the missing weapon.
Safety: Richie Grant, Jaylinn Hawkins
Both Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins saw increased roles last year. We’ve talked about how bad this defense is so making your mark isn’t really too difficult. Something both Grant and Hawkins did over the course of last year. But even with the emergence of these two, the Falcon’s secondary was still towards the bottom of the league in most categories. To remedy this the Falcons signed Jessie Bates who will immediately come in and take one of the starting safety spots. Meaning one of these two emerging talents will be forced back onto the bench. Grant seems to be the favorite as of now but a lot can change over the course of camp. It’s likely 50/50 in terms of who we see starting with Bates this season.
Ready to Breakout: Kyle Pitts
Can someone tell Arthur Smith has he has one of the most versatile weapons in the NFL to date? A tight end who can basically line up anywhere on the field and be a glorified receiver. I say this because so far Arthur Smith seems more concerned with turning him into an offensive lineman, which alone should be a fireable offense. We’ve all been saying this since his rookie year, but if Smith gets his head out of the sand and realizes what he actually has in Kyle Pitts then I feel he can be the great tight end everyone scouted him to be.
Rookie to Watch: Zach Harrison
I know Bijan Robinson is the obvious pick here. But you all are already going to fixated on Bijan so it seems pointless to tell you to keep an eye out for him. The media will do a good job of doing that for me. Instead, I want to focus on third-round pick Zach Harrison. A five-star recruit in HS, Harrison was a hot commodity when he committed to Ohio St. While he never was bad at Ohio St. he never seemed fully live up to his potential. He is extremely athletic for the position and has the raw talent to be an NFL talent. One thing that’s for sure is that the Falcons could really use a hit with this pick. Their defense is horrid and the emergence of Zach Harrison could help remedy that. These uber-athletic pass rushers are very hit-or-miss in the NFL. But when they hit it’s truly an unmatched feeling, just ask the Cowboys.
Fantasy Sleeper: Mack Hollins
I’ll be honest trying to find a name for this was rather difficult. None of the Falcon’s runningbacks are really sleepers and picking any position where they aren’t handed the ball off just seems like a wasted pick. Again though, maybe Arthur Smith realizes you can pass the ball and win the game. Something that could greatly benefit the production of Mack Hollins. Teams will be focused on Pitts and London which should leave Hollins in plenty of favorable situations. Hollins has shown the ability to be a stable WR3 and even WR2 at times when it’s needed. He can easily hide himself in this offense and have a really productive season.
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