Fixing the Falcons: 5 Free Agent WR Targets - Dallas Cowboys' Cedrick Wilson?
The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver room quickly went from a position of strength with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to ... empty.
If the Falcons started camp tomorrow, only second-year pros Frank Darby and Austin Trammell would be in attendance.
If Ridley comes back to the NFL, he’s expected to be playing somewhere else next season and 2021 leading wide receiver Russell Gage is a free agent.
Career stats for that aforementioned wide receiver pairing?
One catch... 14 yards... Ouch
Yes, wide receiver is a desperate need for the Atlanta Falcons.
If and when Ridley does depart the Falcons, his entire $11.1 million 2022 cap hit would go back into the budget and upgrading the wide receiver position would be a priority. Pouring the draft pick(s) the Falcons get in a trade for Ridley right back into wide receiver has to be considered as well.
Here’s a look at five free agent wide receivers the Falcons could target for 2022.
Name, Age, Team, 2021 Cap Hit
Russell Gage, 25, Atlanta Falcons, $2.2 million
This isn’t the most exciting pick, but it’s absolutely necessary.
With the departure of Jones and in the absence of Ridley, Gage stepped up for the Falcons and had 770 yards receiving for the Falcons. He shouldn’t be the No. 1 or even No. 2 option at wide receiver for a team with championship aspirations, but he’s a terrific third option.
At $2.2 million in 2021, he was a relative bargain and will be in line for a raise in free agency. But the Falcons would be wise to bring him back in 2022.
Christian Kirk, 25, Arizona Cardinals, $3.0 million
Kirk has the build of a third-down running back and is excellent in the slot. He saw his compensation nearly double in 2021, the final year of his rookie contract. Spotrac calculates Kirk’s market value at $12.6 million per season in free agency.
That number seems a bit high, but Kirk did set career highs for receptions (77) and receiving yards (982) in 2021.
Cedrick Wilson, 26, Dallas Cowboys, $2.2 million
A sixth-round draft pick by the Cowboys in 2018, Wilson was playing on a one-year deal with the Cowboys last season. He has good size at 6-2 and 200 pounds and finished 2021 with 602 yards and six touchdowns.
He might like the idea of playing for another team where he finds himself higher on the target list instead of behind the likes of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz. ... Or, the do-everything weapon might watch Cooper (and his $20 million salary) depart Dallas, while another top wideout in Dallas, Michael Gallup, is a free agent spending the offseason rehabbing an injury.
Kalif Raymond, 27, Detroit Lions, $1.1 million
The Falcons struck gold with Cordarrelle Patterson in 2021. Patterson was mostly seen as a return specialist before his breakout season with the Falcons.
Raymond had a similar season for the Lions. He entered the league out of Holy Cross in 2016, and before this season he had 20 career receptions. Raymond had 48 catches for 576 yards and four touchdowns last year for the Lions.
Raymond attended Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross and could also provide depth as a return specialist.
A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals, 33, $6 million
When the Falcons add several young, cheap wide receivers to the roster in 2022, it may do them some good to have a veteran presence in the room. Green isn’t what he was with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he was still productive with the Cardinals with 848 yards in 2021.
He’s from South Carolina and played his college ball at the University of Georgia. He could be an excellent mentor and bridge to 2023 when the Falcons have more room under the salary cap to properly address the wide receiver position.
Convincing Green at the end of his career to come play for a rebuilding Falcons team may be harder than coming up with the salary cap space to sign him.
The Falcons had one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the NFL in 2021. It was partially masked by the emergence of rookie tight end Kyle Pitts and the breakout season from Patterson.
The scary thing for Falcons fans is that the position could actually be worse in 2022. There’s no Ja'Marr Chase to be had in the draft this year, and one of the best available free agents on the market is one of their own (Gage).
General manager Terry Fontenot came from the New Orleans Saints where they were renowned for their salary- cap voodoo.
Fontenot is going to need some of that magic to rebuild the receiver room in 2022.
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