Russell Gage is ready for a breakout season with the Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t select a wide receiver in this year’s draft. That means two things.
One, they must believe the wide receiver group is strong heading into next season. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley are one of the best receiver duos in the league, and with Matt Ryan still throwing them the ball it makes their job even easier.
Two, Russell Gage has proved that he can be the No. 3 receiver for the Falcons on the depth chart.
Earlier in the week, Russell Gage posted this on Twitter. He could be talking about giving away tickets, which I doubt, or he could be talking about proving his doubters wrong and having a breakout season. I’ll put my money on the latter.
So far, Gage has had an up and down two seasons with the Falcons. He’s been the player to “wow” you with an amazing catch, and then go down with an injury. Luck hasn’t been on his side, but when he’s healthy he has shown the ability to make plays with the ball.
After the Falcons traded Mohamed Sanu before the deadline, there was no question Gage had to step up and he did so. That following week, he had seven receptions for 58 yards. Before that, he had four receptions and 44 yards in 7 games.
In week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had eight receptions for 76 yards. The next game against the Saints he had five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Gage was an important part of the Falcons offense in the second half of the season, and he should have a bigger role heading into next season.
If history stands tall, all of the Falcons No. 3 receivers in the past have shown they can be productive playing with Ryan. Harry Douglas, Taylor Gabriel, and Ridley all excelled in the slot role with the veteran QB.
The reason those three players were able to be successful as No. 3 receivers was because of the receivers ahead of them. Jones has shown over the years now that he’ll always demand a double team if you want to contain him. Ridley has shown flashes of being a No. 1 receiver at times, and he could use extra attention as well. This leaves Gage in potential one-on-one matchups, and with his speed he should be able to win most.
The Falcons may look to use him in screen plays or in their wildcat formation, which they used him in multiple times last season.
The only thing that could hold Gage back is his durability. If he trains right and puts on some more muscle, he could see some progress towards staying healthy.
So if everything does go right for Gage this upcoming season, he’ll definitely hurt a lot of feelings. On the field, and to the doubters.
