Falcons Miss on WR Bryan Edwards, But Trade Remains Correct Decision

After arriving with high expectations, receiver Bryan Edwards' stint with the Atlanta Falcons came to a disappointing finish on Thursday.

The Atlanta Falcons released receiver Bryan Edwards on Thursday, bringing his tenure with the team to a sudden close after just 11 games.

Edwards arrived in Atlanta this past May, just a few weeks after the NFL Draft. The Falcons sent a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in return for his services and a seventh-round selection.

On paper, Edwards was the full package; a young (23 years old at the time), ascending (nearly 600 receiving yards the season before), controllable (two years left on his contract) player who was taken in the third-round in 2020. His departure from Las Vegas seemed to have far more to do with a new regime simply not viewing him as a fit than anything else.

With Calvin Ridley suspended for the season and Russell Gage departing in free agency, the Falcons' receivers room was first-round rookie Drake London, proven complimentary piece Olamide Zaccheaus, and quite a few question marks after.

Granted, tight end Kyle Pitts was coming off a 1,000-yard season, and with the enhanced 12 personnel looks coach Arthur Smith runs, the Falcons don't often put more than three receivers on the field.

Still, Atlanta was in need of a long-term No. 2 receiver to pair with London - and Edwards' 6-3, 212-pound frame matched with his positive trajectory of growth made him a very intriguing option to fill that role.

But ultimately, things just didn't work out for the former South Carolina Gamecock.

He played in only seven of the Falcons' 11 games, drawing one start (the season opener) and logging 91 snaps - just 21 percent of the season-long total. Edwards, now 24, was a healthy scratch four times, including two of the last three weeks. For the season, Edwards saw five targets, catching three for 15 yards.

In essence, there was nowhere near the production or even flashes of ability that many expected when Edwards joined the team this offseason.

But nevertheless, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was correct in his decision to trade for Edwards. Atlanta moved down two rounds on the draft's third day in a swing for the fences on a young, talented player who turned in a promising second season.

Edwards was a size and scheme fit whose numbers the year before were at least enough to inspire confidence that he could be a No. 3 wideout, minimum - but it just wasn't meant to be.

Still, that shouldn't take away from the vision Fontenot had, and the aggression he showed in accomplishing the task at hand. Considering all of the information on the table, there was little to suggest that Edwards would be as unproductive as he was; if anything, the question was how high his ceiling could be, rather than how low his floor proved to be.

From the start, it was a low risk, high reward move considering the lack of capital invested, and while it certainly netted little-to-no reward, the Falcons will still have a fifth-round pick in April's draft as a part of the trade that sent Ridley to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As it relates to the argument of process vs. results, the NFL is a results-driven league. However, with a good process should come better results in the long haul - and much about the process behind the acquisition of Edwards was smart, logical and measured.

So, while the trade certainly lowers Fontenot's batting average as Atlanta's general manager, one can hardly fault him for searching for extra bases with Edwards, even if he did ultimately strike out.

But the recognition of need, urgency to go address it and acceptance of risk vs. reward illustrates the subtle yet sound aspects of Fontenot's process, and while this particular instance didn't unfold as planned, the process itself should lead to a net positive moving forward.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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