Does Bryan Edwards Trade Make Falcons Relevant at Receiver Again?

The team traded for Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards yesterday.

Jeremy Brener | May 14, 2022

After a horrific first half of the offseason that saw the Atlanta Falcons lose their two top options at wide receiver, the team has recovered nicely in the last two weeks.

Bryan Edwards

Drake London

Two weeks ago during the NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Drake London with the 8th overall pick. London projects to be the No. 1 wide receiver going into the season.

Then, on Friday, the team traded for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards in a low-risk, high-reward move. It only cost the team a fifth-round pick and the Falcons got a seventh-round pick in return.

Acquiring London and Edwards enables the Falcons to begin restoring their wide receiving corps. Atlanta has lost talent at the position in back-to-back years, which began by trading Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans in 2021. In March, the NFL suspended the Falcons' top receiver in Calvin Ridley indefinitely for illegal betting. The team also lost Russell Gage in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Comparing Ridley and Gage to London and Edwards will be common throughout the season, as it's only natural to compare what a team has now vs. what a team previously had.

Drake London

Drake London

That's a storyline for multiple positions on the Falcons this season. Will Marcus Mariota be able to replace Matt Ryan? Can Troy Andersen replicate what Foye Oluokun was able to do? Will rookie running back Tyler Allgeier be able to improve on Mike Davis' low production?

While adding London and Edwards doesn't make the Falcons better at wide receiver than they were last year, the pair provide a ton of optimism and potential to become a duo more dynamic than the predecessors.

Published May 14, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.