Offensive Weapon Rankings: Where Are Falcons?
With the NFL season quickly approaching, the Atlanta Falcons are gearing up to display an almost completely revamped offense.
According to a recent ranking from ESPN, the Falcons offensive playmaking unit comes in as the 27th-best unit in the NFL.
For comparison, the unit was ranked No. 23 entering the 2021 season.
This low ranking isn't much of a surprise for an offense that has not seen much true NFL production. The team's offense, which has restocked with young stars such as tight end Kyle Pitts, 2022 first-round wide receiver Drake London, and 2022 third-round quarterback Desmond Ridder is yet to prove itself.
At the forefront of Atlanta's weapons is Pitts. As a rookie, Pitts accrued 1,026 receiving yards and one touchdown. Generally speaking, tight end is the hardest position for rookies to make an impact, so Pitts' stats have been great in that context.
Moving forward, Pitts is in a perfect position to be a focal point of the offense considering the team's new look at quarterback; featuring veteran Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ridder, who is primed to be the heir apparent to Matt Ryan, Pitts should continue to see more targets as a safety blanket between the numbers and in the red zone.
Following up Pitts is rookie receiver London. At USC, London showed up promise as a big-bodied receiver who could run above-average routes with very above-average physicals. With star receiver Calvin Ridley facing a one-year suspension for gambling, London should also see an immediately high number of targets.
Outside of Pitts and London, there are a couple players ready to prove themselves in 2022 to hopefully push the Falcons up the ladder when this list comes out next season.
