Falcons face unclear future and rebuild with 2021 NFL Draft on horizon
The future of the Falcons may shift towards the 2021 NFL Draft
Ever since Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff were relieved of their duties with the Atlanta Falcons, fans have begun to speculate that other significant departures could be on the horizon. The long tenured core of the Falcons’ offense, quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones, will reportedly be on the way out of Atlanta if the new general manager will be able to make moves to lead to wins.
When a team hires a new head coach and GM, they typically move on from their quarterback. That was always expected from the Falcons, but what people didn’t expect was how quickly this has come along. In the minds of analysts and fans alike, expectations were that the Falcons would be drafting a quarterback to learn behind Matt Ryan for a few years. Just yesterday, I released a mock draft giving the Falcons a quarterback to play the role of Matt Ryan’s successor.
Now that a this report has surfaced, the strategy might be different. Looking at how this impacts the draft, we might see one of either Jones or Ryan packaged with some picks so the Falcons could potentially move up for Justin Fields. Maybe they sit at their pick and hope he falls to them, as they currently sit at the fifth overall pick. Maybe they are high on either Zach Wilson or Trey Lance enough to take them with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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With both Ryan and Jones north of 30, this decision seemed to be in the chamber for a short while. Moving on from two of the best players in franchise history will not just signal a reset at the positions, but an overall rebuild. The future is now uncertain in Atlanta; it will be interesting to watch their GM and head coach searches to see how owner Arthur Blank might go about this major decision.
Until then, it is all speculation.