Pro Football Focus made a statement about the Atlanta Falcons this week that should leave fans with a big smile.
PFF thinks the Falcons did well enough during the first wave of free agency that the franchise will be able to field a top 10 offense in 2024.
From PFF: In adding quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Atlanta Falcons haven’t just made themselves the odds-on favorites in the NFC South, but they’ve also given themselves a shot at being one of the best offenses in the league. Despite his age, Cousins was still performing at a high level before his injury last year, earning an 86.1 PFF grade. While he doesn’t have a superstar like Justin Jefferson at wide receiver, he does have the pieces around him to be successful in Atlanta.
Incumbents wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts dropped fewer than 5% of the catchable passes thrown their way in 2023. And in free agency, Atlanta added Darnell Mooney, who has scored four times on targets thrown 20-plus yards downfield over the past three seasons, and Rondale Moore, who forced seven missed tackles on 40 receptions last season. Running back Bijan Robinson should be even better in year two, as well, coming off a season where he forced 52 missed tackles on 214 carries and another 17 on 58 receptions.
The Falcons finished the 2023 season with the No. 26 scoring offense in the NFL, so jumping into the top 10 would be quite an accomplishment.
But it's more than doable. And that's thanks mostly to the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons already had some great offensive players on the roster entering free agency. Wide receiver Drake London caught 69 passes for 905 yards despite not playing with a dynamic quarterback. Tight end Kyle Pitts showed as a rookie in 2021, when he went to the Pro Bowl, that he can be an elite playmaker in the NFL. And running back Bijan Robinson has all the talent in the world.
Adding wide receiver Darnell Mooney into the mix, along with Cousins, gives the Falcons an abundance of offensive weapons.
If new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson can prove to be the next Sean McVay disciple that finds major success as a playcaller in the NFL, then the Falcons could easily be one of the teams to beat in the NFC in 2024.
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