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Falcons Head Coach Loves Play from Two Unexpected Wide Receivers in Camp So Far
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- Falcons Head Coach Loves Play from Two Unexpected Wide Receivers in Camp So Far
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Atlanta Falcons are headed into the regular season with the goal of competing in the NFC South in the start of a new era under head coach Kevin Stefanski .
If that's going to happen, there's a whole lot of players on this team who are going to have to step up their level of play, but by the sounds of it, that process has started during training camp with some groups standing out.
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Offensively, the big time stars there are understandably going to get a ton of attention, and no one may be a better example than all-world wide receiver Drake London . He can't do it all though, and who is going to produce behind London has been one of the questions of the offseason.
Much has been made of rookie third round pick Zachariah Branch, with free agent signings Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson expected to play big roles as well. Two players who have been forgotten though who have been in the organization for longer are former undrafted free agents Chris Blair and Dylan Drummond .
Stefanski was asked about both, and it sounds like he is starting to trust them right around the time guys need to start emerging if they are going to get snaps.
Stefanski Seems to Be High on Both Blair and Drummond
"Those guys have become very valuable," Stefanski told Falcons.com . "They're diligent and trustworthy, so the coaches and players understand that they can play multiple roles. Again, this is at the point in camp where we're finding roles for guys to do. I think both those guys have shown up."
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Blair has been with the team since 2023 and Drummond since 2024 with both spending time on the practice squad as well as the active roster. Neither are flashy, but they have simply gone about their business the last several seasons and continued to get better, which is absolutely huge for guys looking to get more work.
Without the trust of coaches, players cannot even begin the process of getting on the field, so when Stefanski uses words like "valuable", "diligent" and "trustworthy", that is a major sign that each has a chance to factor into the wide receiver rotation this season.
They will have to continue to prove they're ready for a bigger assignment, but throughout the course of a season, it's inevitable to see a lot of different guys catching the ball. Blair and Drummond, through sheer hard work, have established themselves as two guys who should at some point be a part of that conversation.
