By Jack McNicholas

The Falcons are, complex when it comes to breaking down exactly what this team can look like going into 2022—the departure of former MVP and long-time quarterback Matt Ryan. While one door closes in the NFL, two more can open. This leads to a quarterback competition that is the most intriguing of the summer. Former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, who has experience with head coach Arthur Smith from his time in Tennessee, this will be his first year in Atlanta. The Falcons are welcoming a new rookie quarterback who took college football by storm. Desmond Ridder former Cincinnati University Quarterback has a chance to earn the starting job with a good offseason. This would send a ripple effect on this team. Whom many have low expectations but are also considered the 2^nd favorite in the division. The biggest thing to watch will be how they bounce back from the departure of Ryan. While their offense has also taken a hit losing the two top receiving options from last year, Calvin Ridley to a one year suspension and Russell Gage to Tampa Bay in free agency. It will be on Kyle Pitts, the tight end in his second year after an impressive season outside the low touchdown production. Pitts only had 1 touchdown catch all of last season which created a lot of questions for how he would be utilized in his sophomore campaign. The team was active by going after USC wide receiver Drake London, who adds a 6’3 frame to this Atlanta offense. Now having defenses choose between them.

The defensive side of the ball is a different issue, while the falcons used both of their second round selections this year to select Arnold Ebitketie out of Penn State and Troy Andersen from Montana State. They were active enough in free agency to add depth behind positions. With additions such as Casey Hayward Jr, Lorenzo Carter and Rashaan Evans, I believe they did what they could while they have to still deal with Matt Ryan’s dead cap in their budget. I believe the Falcons are building toward something slowly on defense. We have seen them be active enough in keeping around big key players such as Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones. This is a team that is preparing to extend AJ Terrell. Who is PFF’s highest-rated cornerback. They will want to continue to build around these players and I wouldn’t be surprised if Atlanta was a team making a trade during the deadline depending on the teams status to that point. 

While in 2022 I do believe the Tampa Bay buccaneers will be able to dominate the NFC south division. The Falcons are a well coached team with high potential players on the roster and plenty of veterans. We saw this team slowly win week by week until they fell apart at the end of the 2021 season. The return of Cordarrelle Patterson should bring an excitement to Atlanta Falcons fans as Arthur Smith is ready for football! We are all very intrigued to see how this team will handle the running game outside of Paterson. As the team did draft Tyler Allegeier who could in my mind surpass the likes of Patterson and veteran running back Damien Williams. I am excited to see how this team uses this season to grow and build. The Falcons have so much potential to be great but truly are held back by the financial strains of their long time departing quarterback. I expect them to be a competitive team and be one of the most active teams in free agency next offseason. Be sure to keep an eye in the sky for the Falcons in 2022.