For many years, the Atlanta Falcons’ greatest strength was their plethora of offensive weapons led by quarterback Matt Ryan. After hiring a new head coach and trading away All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones, there’s a certain level of skepticism surrounding the offense as we near the start of the 2021 season.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell doesn’t have much faith in the Falcons’ current arsenal of weapons. After ranking the team at No. 12 going into 2020, Barnwell drops Atlanta all the way down to No. 23 overall in his offensive rankings entering 2021 — citing the Jones trade and Calvin Ridley’s recent foot surgery.
“Atlanta still has one star at wide receiver in Calvin Ridley, but if Ridley’s foot issues linger into the season, the depth chart at wideout would be absolutely horrific. Russell Gage was a perfectly acceptable third wideout behind Jones and Ridley, but casting him as the No. 1 with Olamide Zaccheaus or Christian Blake as the No. 2 would be the worst set of starting wideouts we’ve seen in the NFL in several years.
New coach Arthur Smith, who was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee, might lean more heavily on 12 personnel, and Falcons fans will rightfully expect No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts to be a star in his first NFL season. I’m optimistic about Pitts’ long-term chances, but history tells us to be skeptical of even the best tight ends during their rookie years.”
When looking at the offense Arthur Smith ran in Tennessee, he did turn to the “12 personnel” 31 percent of the time. Of all Titans’ run plays in 2020, 39 percent were taken with this personnel grouping.
Having a strong rushing attack has been a lost art in Atlanta since Michael Turner decided to retire in 2012. Turner had a lot of similarities in his game to new Falcons running back Mike Davis. Both are downhill, bruising ball-carriers, but the Falcons’ passing offense remains the team’s greatest threat.
And while Barnwell is right about the depth at receiver falling off after Russell Gage, having two pass-catching tight ends can make up for some of this. Plus, Pitts has the versatility to be flexed out wide into a receiver role at times.
All eyes will be on Smith to see if he can replicate the prolific success he had in Tennessee with the Falcons this season.
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