The trade of wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was deemed by the Falcons to be in the best interest of the team and not a signal of surrender after a 1-6 start.
The Falcons sent Sanu to the New England Patriots on Tuesday for a second-round pick.
“No. 1, we’re always going to try to do what’s best for the team in that moment,” Quinn said. “That was the case here.”
Quinn said the move was not a signal that the season is over for the team.
“Most of the players know me pretty well and know that I don’t tap out ever,” Quinn said. “They would know that would not be the case.”
With Sanu gone, second-year wide receiver Calvin Ridley was elevated to the No. 2 spot while practice-squad player Christian Blake was elevated to the 53-man roster. Wide receiver Devin Gray was added to the practice squad.
“We’ve always had a mindset on developing players,” Quinn said. “This was one of those cases that it was worth it to do that. We certainly have pushed Cal, and he’s ready to take on the bigger role and (Russel) Gage is another one that’s certainly into that space. If we didn’t think it was best for the team, we wouldn’t have done it.”
The Falcons considered Sanu to be a fine teammate.
“Mo meant a lot to me,” Ridley said. “I learned a lot from him. He was the juice and energy in our meeting room. He was the guy that got us ready.”
Ridley didn’t notice much change at his first practice without Sanu.
“It was pretty much the same,” Ridley said. “I got a few more reps, but it was pretty much the same. I think I’m going to be out there on the same amount of reps.”
Sanu was a force on third downs for the teams. The Falcons will use a committee to replace what he brought to the offense.
“How do you play in the slot and do some of those things,” Quinn said. “Cal certainly has some ability to work in there (and) Gage. Those are two of the options that can work inside. We’ll also put Julio some in the slot. Those are things that we’ll go into.”
Gage is set to move up to the No. 3 receiver slot.
“It’s my time to step up and I’m going to do what I can,” Gage said.
Justin Hardy, Olamide Zaccheaus and Blake round out the wide-receiving corps. The Falcons also have wide receiver Brandon Powell on the practice squad.
“The good part about our receiver group is that there is some fluidness that can take place at some different spots on different down and distances,” Quinn said.
Sanu, 30, has been a productive player since he signed as a free agent in 2016.
Sanu had 33 catches for 313 yards and a touchdown this season for the Falcons. He had a career-high 67 catches in 2017 and was a starter on the Super Bowl team in the 2016 season.
Taken in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Rutgers by the Cincinnati Bengals, Sanu has 402 career receptions for 4,607 yards and 27 touchdowns, including eight postseason games. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season.
The Falcons will take a $3.8 million cap hit this season and $1.4 million in 2020. Sanu is set to make $6.5 million in salary for next season.
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