This article is part of our Team Previews series.
Atlanta Falcons 
Last season's 4-12 record tied for the Falcons' worst finish since 1996. Meanwhile, GM Terry Fontenot entered free agency in March sitting 29th in available cap space. Now, coach Arthur Smith will have to navigate his first time running the show without a franchise legend.
Offseason Moves
Key Acquisitions
- Kyle Pitts – TE (Rd. 1, No. 4 – Florida)
No tight end in NFL Draft history has gone off the board earlier.
- Mike Davis – RB (from Panthers)
Stays in the NFC South, will twice face his ex-team after 2020 breakout.
- Richie Grant – S (Rd. 2, No. 40 – UCF)
Totaled big tackle numbers, 10 interceptions over the last three seasons.
- Cordarrelle Patterson – RB/WR (from Bears)
Reigning All-Pro kick returner will back up at running back, receiver.
Key Losses
- Julio Jones – WR (to Titans)
Gold jacket on standby, he sits 20th all-time in receiving yards.
- Keanu Neal – LB (to Cowboys)
Seeks fourth 100-tackle season as he reunites with Dan Quinn in Dallas.
- Todd Gurley – RB (FA)
Late-game gaffe against Lions footnotes disappointing 2020 in Atlanta.
- Brian Hill – RB (to Titans)
Aiming to build upon a career year of 664 total yards and 4.7 YPC.
A Look Under the Hood
Head Coach: Arthur Smith (Year 1)
Offensive Coordinator: Dave Ragone (Year 1) - West Coast (wide/outside zone)
Defensive Coordinator: Dean Pees (Year 1) - 4-3 scheme
2021 Vegas Projected Wins: 7 (T-25th)
2020 Record: 4-12
2020 Points Scored: 396 (16th)
2020 Points Allowed: 414 (19th)
2020 Point Differential: -18 (18th)
2020 Run-Play Rate: 37.9 percent (24th)
2020 Offensive Snaps: 1,078 (5th)
2020 PFF O-Line Ranking: No. 21
Projected 2021 Depth Chart
QB: Matt Ryan / AJ McCarron
RB: Mike Davis / Cordarrelle Patterson / Qadree Ollison
FB: Keith Smith
WR1: Calvin Ridley / Tajae Sharpe
WR2: Russell Gage / Frank Darby
WR3: Olamide Zaccheaus / Christian Blake
TE: Kyle Pitts / Hayden Hurst / Lee Smith
O-Line: LT Jake Matthews / LG Matt Gono / C Matt Hennessy / RG Chris Lindstrom / RT Kaleb McGary (RotoWire Rank: No. 23)
Kicker: Younghoe Koo
Top Storylines
The Impact of Arthur Smith
Former coach Dan Quinn was fired after the Falcons sputtered to an 0-5 start last season, a stark contrast from the 6-2 run that saved his job to close out 2019. Interim coach Raheem Morris mounted a 4-2 record over the subsequent weeks, but five straight losses to end the year persuaded team owner Arthur Blank into an external hire.
Arthur Smith was selected to fill the vacancy, shifting a blossoming offensive mind into the power chair for one of 12 organizations still pursuing its first Super Bowl title. Though the 39-year-old Smith served just two seasons as Tennessee's offensive coordinator, he made a notable impact in resuscitating the career of Ryan Tannehill. After flaming out in Miami, Tannehill stepped in as the Titans' starting quarterback Week 7 of 2019. The move initially may have been met with limited fanfare, but the 2012 first-round pick accumulated the third-most touchdown passes (55) and third-best passer rating (111.3) among NFL signal-callers under Smith's tutelage.
Meanwhile, Derrick Henry has towered above the league, with 875 more rushing yards than any other player over the past two seasons. Now alongside Matt Ryan and a skill-position group that aims to lessen the blow of Julio Jones' departure with the additions of Kyle Pitts and Mike Davis, Smith enters his first year as a head coach at any level.
Post-Julio Receiving Duo
Julio Jones faced lofty expectations when he became the sixth overall selection in the 2011 draft, especially after then-GM Thomas Dimitroff forked over three top-60 picks to trade up for the Crimson Tide star. The decision turned out to be one of Dimitroff's better moves, despite the massive haul required to acquire him. Jones racked up five consecutive All-Pro honors between 2015 and 2019. Most incredibly, with 95.5 receiving yards per game for his career, he's 9.5 ahead of the next closest player in NFL history (Calvin Johnson).
Kyle Pitts may be the best bet from the 2021 draft class to approach the production of the departed Jones. Pitts recorded 43 catches while committing zero drops over 67 targets last season, the most opportunities without a drop for any Power Five player. His 12 touchdown grabs also tied for third in the nation, and his field-stretching ability from the tight end position has the potential to short circuit defenses. Pitts' arrival makes for another young, explosive playmaker alongside Calvin Ridley, who some may argue was snubbed of his first career Pro-Bowl nod in 2020. The 26-year-old towered above previous career highs by hauling in 90 passes for 1,374 yards, while nine more TDs pushed him to an impressive total of 26 through three pro seasons.
Mike Davis To Anchor the Backfield
In signing Todd Gurley to a one-year deal in March 2020, Thomas Dimitroff, who eventually was relieved of his duties in October, likely anticipated the organization would get a player at least slightly resembling the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. The former Ram proved to be a viable red-zone weapon, notching eight of his nine touchdowns from inside the 10-yard line. Gurley's 3.5 yards-per-carry average left more to be desired, however. With zero TD catches and just 164 receiving yards on the entire year, the two-time All-Pro became expendable for new GM Terry Fontenot.
Cue Mike Davis, who surpassed Gurley's production with a 30-206-2 receiving line in just the first four outings after Christian McCaffrey's Week 2 ankle injury. The NFC journeyman only once exceeded 15 receptions in five professional campaigns prior to 2020, but a 2.6-percent drop rate the past two seasons indicates Davis' breakout as a pass-catching option is no mirage.
Atlanta is thin at running back behind Davis, with Cordarrelle Patterson slotting in second on the depth chart as he did last season when Chicago was in a pinch following Tarik Cohen's season-ending ACL tear. Patterson handled 64 carries behind David Montgomery in 2020, well above his previous career average of 14.7 rushes per season. Whether that pattern is sustainable remains to be seen.
Barometer
⬆️ Rising: WR Calvin Ridley
In seven appearances sans Julio Jones last season, Ridley had three total touchdowns with a shade under 110 receiving yards per game. With Jones now in Tennessee, Kyle Pitts is slated to draw attention on the other side.
⬇️ Falling: TE Hayden Hurst
Hurst's 2020 output in catches (56), receiving yards (571) and TDs (six) all represent career highs. But Atlanta's selection of Pitts, fourth overall, means the 2018 first-rounder has been supplanted on the depth chart.
😴 Sleeper: WR Russell Gage
Gage totaled 795 yards and five scores (one passing) in 2020. With Pitts swapping in for Jones in the lineup, additional looks may not open up for Gage, but Atlanta did have the fourth-most pass attempts last year.
🌟 Pivotal Player: Matt Ryan
After throwing a trio of interceptions in a Week 14 loss to the Chargers – including two in the last four minutes of regulation – Ryan rebounded with seven touchdowns and no picks in the final three outings of the 2020 campaign. Subsequent hires at coach and GM didn't bring an end to his tenure in Atlanta, but a fourth straight losing season may.
Medical Tent
Ridley was riddled with injuries last season, appearing on practice reports with ankle, calf, thigh, knee, elbow and foot issues along the way. He only sat out one game as a result, otherwise playing at least 70 percent of the offensive snaps in 13 of his 15 appearances. The last concern on the above list was termed a mid-foot sprain at the time, and he underwent what was described as a minor foot procedure in the offseason. While he didn't take part in mandatory minicamp, Ridley was present at the Falcons' facility and is expected to be ready for training camp.
RB Mike Davis
Davis missed Carolina's season finale last year due to an ankle injury, but the running back is well past the issue. More importantly, he's firmly atop a thin positional group that includes no obvious threat to overtake him for Atlanta's Week 1 starting assignment. As such, the potential exists for Davis to approach the 17.4 touches per game he received in the 12 2020 appearances in which he earned at least 50 percent of the plays on offense.
A toe issue kept Zaccheaus on injured reserve for the final five games of the 2020 campaign, but after a full offseason to recover he's healthy entering camp. Aided by a 93-yard TD as an undrafted rookie in 2019, he has a career receiving line of 23-389-2 on 37 targets. Currently, Zaccheaus is the favorite to be the Falcons' third wide receiver this season.
Job Battle
With the Falcons moving on from the Julio Jones era, the breakdown of targets in the skill positions is of keen interest in Atlanta. Calvin Ridley is the top returning incumbent, and the team invested the fourth overall pick in this year's draft on standout tight end Kyle Pitts.
Beyond that duo, Russell Gage (109 targets in 16 games in 2020) is locked into the No. 2 spot on the wide receiver depth chart, while running back Mike Davis, an offseason addition, joins the squad after hauling in 59 of 70 passes with the Panthers last season. Even if all four players are heavily involved in the Falcons' passing game, though, there should be opportunities for others to make an impact.
Chief among them are Hayden Hurst and Olamide Zaccheaus. The former put up a 56-571-6 line on 88 targets as the team's No. 1 TE last year. Meanwhile, Zaccheaus averaged a respectable 13.7 YPC and 8.6 YPT on his 32 looks. In three seasons since Atlanta's previous playoff appearance in 2017, Matt Ryan has tossed at least 600 passes each time, averaging 4,657 yards and 29 TDs on nearly 67 percent passing. Consequently, the volume could be there for Hurst and/or Zaccheaus to produce in 2021.
