Avery Williams was a DB in college, but his stock in the draft was mainly special teams as he was one of the best return specialists in the country. He did drills on offense as well at his pro day, as there was speculation that whatever team he ended up with would likely move him to RB or WR. Atlanta listed him as a DB his rookie season but officially moved him to RB last year. But even as a running back, in training camp and preseason he took a surprising number of snaps lined out out wide as a wide receiver. And it's happening again in OTAs - he even practiced with the WR group. With that in mind, an alleged knock against Atlanta's offense is that the WR group is thin. It's Drake London and... whatever. Here's the catch: Kyle Pitts lined up as a WR as a rookie more than he did at TE. He had a 1000-yard receiving season, and when Calvin Ridley walked away in week five he became the clear #1 target for Matt Ryan. He drew coverage from cornerbacks, not linebackers, and he was still the team's leading receiver. This year Atlanta has traded for tight end Jonnu Smith. That gives head coach Arthur Smith the freedom to line up Pitts as a receiver, out wide or in the slot, rather than in line at TE. And that means Kyle Pitts joins Drake London as the top two wideouts, even though he doesn't have "WR" next to his name on the roster. With Ridley off finding himself (and getting himself suspended) that year, Russell Gage became Atlanta's next best receiver. He left in free agency, replaced by London. After Gage, Cordarrelle Patterson was the next top receiver for Atlanta that season. He was listed as a RB, but like Pitts, he frequently lined up out wide as a receiver - which is actually his natural position. The team had signed Mike Davis as the presumed #1 RB, but by the end of the season Patterson took over as the top ball carrier as well. He carried that role into 2022. The problem is that it wore him down, and he got banged up. He missed four games and was a bit limited in other games after his return. For 2023, the Falcons have drafted Bijan Robinson as the new #1 RB, with Tyler Allgeier in rotation with him. That leaves Patterson free to play the "utility" role like he did in 2021. Don't be surprised if he's at WR this year more frequently than he's in the backfield. If we treat Kyle Pitts as a #2 WR, Patterson would likely split time with Mack Hollins in the #3 WR role. Normally you'd say he doesn't count - a RB can't be as good as a wideout as a true WR. That doesn't apply with Patterson, as he actually is a true WR. So if Corey Davis does become available, sure, grab him. But in the meantime, Atlanta already has a solid quartet of receivers, even if they aren't all listed in the WR group.
