The Atlanta Falcons have underachieved their way out of the national spotlight after two 7-9 finishes.
General manager Thomas Dimitroff has been more ruthless than normal this offseason, but with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing Tom Brady, Atlanta has become a distant afterthought when it comes to the NFC South.
The Falcons have added a handful of players likely to make an impact this season, including Todd Gurley, Dante Fowler Jr., Hayden Hurst, A.J. Terrell and Marlon Davidson. However, the team needed to replace Austin Hooper, De’Vondre Campbell, Vic Beasley, Desmond Trufant and Devonta Freeman.
In ESPN’s post-draft power rankings, the Falcons are listed at No. 18, well behind both the Buccaneers (No. 7) and the New Orleans Saints (No. 4). Vaughn McClure wrote the following about Atlanta:
The Falcons didn’t draft a running back, although GM Thomas Dimitroff hinted that the team might look for another explosive threat out of the backfield. Maybe that indicates how confident the Falcons feel about Gurley’s left knee and his ability to contribute, despite being released by the Rams. Or maybe that means the Falcons are confident in Brian Hill, Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison, the group of backups behind Gurley.
Gurley is only 25, but as McClure points out, the team is putting quite a bit of faith in him by not selecting a running back at any point in the 2020 draft.
Atlanta may enjoy entering the season under the radar as opposed to last season when many predicted the team to have an elite offense. Head coach Dan Quinn seemed to push all the right buttons down the stretch, though, and the Falcons won six of their final eight games.
Promoting Raheem Morris to defensive coordinator after the stellar job he did calling plays was a smart move. Ultimately, Atlanta still must prove its offseason additions were greater than its losses in 2020.
