Falcons Win NFC South if DeAndre Hopkins Signs?

How would signing free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins affect the Atlanta Falcons?

DeAndre Hopkins, one of the NFL’s top wide receivers of his era, is available and could be a fantastic addition to the Atlanta Falcons as the team approaches training camp.

“Hopkins can put the aerial attack over the top. In a wide-open NFC South division, a team with a high-level passing offense could run away with the division, Bleacher Report wrote. “With wideout London Drake (6’4 “, 213 lbs) and Kyle Pitts (6’6”, 246 lbs) in the fold, Atlanta would have an unstoppable trio of pass-catchers in the red zone. Moreover, they can use their size advantage all over the field.”

If the Falcons can add the veteran receiver heading into training camp, he’ll have more time to gel with Ridder before the season starts, something that he’s proven quick at doing with young talented quarterbacks in the past.

Hopkins’ cumulative receiving average during his first season with Deshaun Watson on the Houston Texans and his first season on the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray was 1,392.5 yards and 9.5 touchdowns.

With a new quarterback under center, Desmond Ridder, Hopkins’ famously reliable hands could greatly benefit the second-year player as he gets accustomed to life as an NFL starter. Last season Ridder started four games and completed 63.5 percent of his passes, lower than Hopkins’s average over the past five seasons when targeted, which at their best had a catch percentage of roughly 72 percent.

While Atlanta isn’t short on talent in their trio of playmakers that includes London, Pitts, and rookie running back Bijan Robinson, they lack experience in big moments, something that Hopkins has spent a decade in the NFL accumulating, so keep an eye on the Falcons to potentially sign the veteran soon as training camp approaches.

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