Welcome to the Cover 9@9 blog — our weekly list of nine things that you need to know about the Atlanta Falcons.
1. The no-spin zone. When the Falcons open training camp, which is scheduled to begin July 28, much of the focus will be on the offensive line.
Now, with the coronavirus pandemic and the NFL and NFLPA attempting to work on a return-to-work plan, things could get pushed back.
Whenever the Falcons get to camp, the offensive line, which struggled mightily with health and inexperience last season, will get most of the attention.
The front office made only one significant move this offseason along the offensive line with the drafting of center-guard Matt Hennessy in the third round of the NFL draft. He comes highly recommended for Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins, who coached him for part of his career at Temple.
The Falcons' 2019 offensive line was ranked 24th in the league by analytics website profootballfocus.com and that seems a little on the high side given that the unit yielded 50 quarterback sacks, 135 quarterback hits and couldn't run the ball with any authority.
The Falcons posted the worst pass-blocking (67.2 on scale of 100) and run-blocking (58.2) grades during Matt Ryan’s tenure, according PFF.
The Falcons are banking on center Alex Mack and left tackle Jake Matthews to lead a resurgence. Right guard Chris Lindstrom, who missed most of last season with a broken foot, needs to stay health.
PFF points out that Matthews is one of the top zone blockers (89th percentile over the past two seasons) in the league. Mack has ranked second, fourth and dipped to ninth last season while he appeared to be playing through an injury.
The red-hot problem spots were at right tackle and left guard.
The Falcons are still hopeful that Kaleb McGary can fulfill the promise they had for him when they traded up to take in late in the first round of the 2019 draft. McGary, while leading the league in sacks allowed, graded out with a 53, which ranked him 79th out of 89 qualifying tackles.
McGary must developed into a solid pro. If he doesn’t, the top options appear to be veterans John Wetzel and Justin McCray.
The Falcons have options at left guard.
Veteran James Carpenter must bounce back from a porous season. He had a 45.2 grade in the PFF grading system that was worse than all but seven guards last season.
If Carpenter can’t make it back, Hennessy and Matt Gono are available.
2. Super long shots to make the team: If things get underway, here are the five undrafted rookie free agents to watch:
» Ray Wilborn, LB/S, Ball State. The Falcons are thin at strong safety behind Keanu Neal, who shouldn't be rushed back from a ruptured Achilles. They played free safety Ricardo Allen at strong safety last season. Wilborn, who's 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, was moved from linebacker to safety last season for the Cardinals. The Falcons are listing him as a linebacker, but he could make the team at strong safety. He 83 tackles at safety and two interceptions.
» Hinwa Allieu, DT, Nebraska-Kearney: Played defensive end in college. He was born in the West African country of Sierra Leone. He came to the U.S. in 2013. The Falcons appear to be shifting the focus of their pass rush to the interior of the defense. They need better play from the tackles, and maybe Allieu is sturdy enough to hold up in the A-gap and quick enough to get off blocks. At 6-5, 290, he's long and big enough to give some guards trouble.
» Scottie Dill, RT, Memphis: He's 6-7, 297. Started 13 games for the Tigers last season. His father, Scott Dill, played 10 seasons in the NFL (1988-97). He probably can't push past McGary in one virtual offseason, but if McGary continues to struggle in pass protection, the Falcons will need a better option.
» Jared Pinkney, TE, Vanderbilt: He had a spectacular junior season when he caught 50 passes. His dropoff last season has been attributed to the dip in quarterback play. Pinkney's stock dropped in the draft after a poor showing at the NFL scouting combine. Not having a chance to redeem himself at Vandy's Pro Day also was a factor after he ran the slowest 40-yard dash time (4.96) among the tight ends. He helped Norcross High win back-to-back Georgia state titles before signing with the Commodores. Before the senior slump and shoddy combine, it was thought that he could become an NFL starter if he improved his blocking.
» Chris Rowland, WR, Tennessee State: When you break some of Jerry Rice's records, then you are going to get a real hard look. Rowland, who's 5-8 and 180 pounds, was the 2019 Black College Football Player of the Year. He set an HBCU record with 104 receptions this past season, eclipsing the mark of 103 set by Jerry Rice in 1984. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. He could be the sleeper in what was supposed to be a historically good wide receiver class.
3. Two female scouts: The Falcons are continuing a league-wide trend to diversify their scouting staffs. Rushell Harvey and Kjahna O were hired as scouting coordinators recently.
Harvey was with Tulane and had worked in recruiting at Houston and LSU. She graduated from LSU, where she was a three-time track and field All-American.
O worked at South Carolina, where she earned a master’s degree. She also has a degree from Chowan.
Harvey and O join Hannah Burnett (New York Giants), Kathleen Wood (Cleveland Browns) and Riley Hecklinski (Browns) as women starting new scouting jobs around the league in 2020.
4. Season ticket holder letter on the way: Falcons' season ticket holders should be on the lookout for a letter from the team explaining your options for the coming season.
Several teams have already offered unconditional opt-outs for 2020 season with either a full refund or an option to push the money into 2021 as a credit.
5. Freeman fired. Former Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and agent Kristin Campbell, wife of rap legend Uncle Luther Campbell, have parted ways, according to NFL Media's Michael Silver.
Freeman and Campbell will both go down in Falcons’ Super Bowl LI history lore. Campbell demanded a new contract the week of the big game, and Freeman’s missed block was costly and played a role in the 28-3 collapse.
Seattle and Jacksonville expressed interest in Freeman.
Also, keep an eye on San Francisco, where former Falcons coach Kyle Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner. Freeman had his best years under Turner, and 49ers running back Raheem Mostert has asked to be traded.
6. Ryan's GoFundMe update: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's GoFundMe to advance the lives of the black community in Atlanta is up to $1.28 million.
The total includes some donations from Falcons management and coaches and has 2,400 different donors.
7. Madden ratings: Ryan is the seventh ranked quarterback on Madden 2021.
8. Blank's memoir. Falcons owner Arthur Blank has a memoir coming out on Sept. 15. The book is titled "Good Company," and the foreword is written by President Jimmy Carter. Blank shares his vision and road map for values-based business.
9. Depth chart. When the Falcons open for training camp, they are set to have 17 former first-round picks on the roster. In addition to cornerback A.J. Terrell (16th overall), here are the first-round picks acquired this offseason:
- Linebacker Deone Bucannon (No. 27 overall, 2014)
- Defensive end Dante Fowler (3, 2015)
- Running back Todd Gurley (10, 2015)
- Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (23, 2016)
- Defensive end Charles Harris (22, 2017)
- Tight end Hayden Hurst (25, 2018)
The other first-round picks on the roster:
- Quarterback Matt Ryan (3, 2008)
- Center Alex Mack (21, 2009)
- Wide receiver Julio Jones (6, 2011)
- Guard James Carpenter (25, 2011)
- Left tackle Jake Matthews (6, 2014)
- Safety Keanu Neal (17, 2016)
- Defensive end Takk McKinley (26, 2017)
- Wide receiver Calvin Ridley (26, 2018)
- Right guard Chris Lindstrom (14, 2019)
- Right tackle Kaleb McGary (31, 2019)
Full depth chart
OFFENSE
WR 11 Julio Jones, 13 Christian Blake, 19 Devin Gray, 80 Laquon Treadwell, Chris Rowland, Juwan Green LT 70 Jake Matthews, 75 John Wetzel, Hunter Atkinson LG 61 Matt Hennessy, 73 Matt Gono, 77 James Carpenter, 64 Sean Harlow C 51 Alex Mack, 61 Matt Hennessy, 64 Sean Harlow, Austin Capps RG 63 Chris Lindstrom, 68 Jamon Brown, 65 Justin McCray, Justin Gooseberry RT 76 Kaleb McGary, 65 Justin McCray, 69 Scottie Dill, Evin Ksiezarczyk TE 81 Hayden Hurst, 86 Khari Lee, 87 Jaeden Graham, 85 Carson Meier, Jared Pinkney, Caleb Repp WR 18 Calvin Ridley, 83 Russell Gage, 17 Olamide Zaccheaus, 15 Brandon Powell, Jalen McCleskey QB 2 Matt Ryan, 8 Matt Schaub, 6 Kurt Benkert, 16 Danny Etling RB 21 Todd Gurley, 25 Ito Smith, 30 Qadree Ollison, 23 Brian Hill, 42 Craig Reynolds FB 40 Keith Smith, Mikey Daniel
DEFENSE
DE 56 Dante Fowler, 53 Austin Larkin, 71 Bryson Young DT 97 Grady Jarrett, 50 John Cominsky, Hinwa Allieu DT 96 Tyeler Davison, 90 Marlon Davidson, 94 Deadrin Senat, Sailosi Latu DE 93 Allen Bailey, 55 Steven Means, 53 Austin Larkin DE 98 Takk McKinley, 92 Charles Harris, 91 Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Austin Edwards LB 54 Foyesade Oluokun, 36 Deone Bucannon, 46 Edmond Robinson, 52 Ahmad Thomas, Jordan Williams LB 45 Deion Jones, 59 LaRoy Reynolds, 43 Mykal Walker, Ray Wilborn RCB 26 Isaiah Oliver, 29 Josh Hawkins, 39 C.J. Reavis, Delrick Abrams, 44 Tyler Hall LCB 24 A.J. Terrell, 33 Blidi Wreh-Wilson, 28 Jordan Miller, Rojesterman Farris NCB 20 Kendall Sheffield, 34 Chris Cooper SS 37 Ricardo Allen, 22 Keanu Neal, 32 Jaylinn Hawkins, 35 Jamal Carter FS 27 Damontae Kazee, 37 Ricardo Allen, 41 Sharrod Neasman
SPECIALISTS
K 7 Younghoe Koo KO 7 Younghoe Koo P 9 Ryan Allen, 4 Sterling Hofrichter LS 47 Josh Harris H 9 Ryan Allen KOR 15 Brandon Powell, 17 Olamide Zaccheaus PR 15 Brandon Powell, 17 Olamide Zaccheaus
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