Falcons Agree to Terms With Ex-Browns, Packers Lineman

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms with free agent offensive lineman Justin McCray, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

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McCray Adds Depth

McCray, the 6-foot-3, 317-pound lineman will add nice depth the Falcons’ offense needs. As a guard, he played 15 games for the Browns with four starts in 2019. McCray has spent four seasons with the NFL. He played his first two seasons with the Green Bay Packers. So far, he has playing played in 40 games with 17 starts, mostly at the guard position.

The Falcons have four out of five offensive line spots filled at this point. After Wes Schweitzer signed with the Redksins last week as a free agent, the Falcons needed the depth at the left guard position.

McCray will most likely be competing against James Carpenter and Jame Brown for the left guard posistion this offseason.

11 Former First-Rounders

As of yesterday, the Falcons have 11  first-rounders on their offense. They signed former  Minnesota Vikings wideout Laquon Treadwell on Sunday, the 11th man of the offensive side of the ball.

Treadwell had an outstanding career while at Ole Miss. He recorded 202 receptions for 2,393 yards and 21 touchdowns in three seasons. Although he struggled to adjust to the NFL at first, he has a promising future. Treadwell’s NFL career currently consists of 53 career games, 65 passes for 701 yards and two touchdowns.

Similar to McCray, Treadwell will be competing for a starting position at wide receiver against Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.

The Falcons added the No. 10 former first-rounder Todd Gurley on Thursday morning, quickly after the LA Rams released him Wednesday evening.

Stephen A. Smith Gets It

Many people are questioning if the Falcons made a smart decision picking up Gurley who is suffering from a knee injury that lowered his stats last season.

Stephen A. Smith gave a positive take on ESPN’s First Take on Friday.

“I think I think the thing about it, guys is that number one, he’s not the only running back that they’re going to be relying upon,” Smith said. “That’s number one. You got to remember he had 33 less carries last season than he did the season before, even though he had played an additional game. He only played in 14 games in 2018 played in 15 games this past season, but still had 33 less carries.”

“We now understand why the Rams did what they did, but then we go and we move over to Atlanta, what do you have there? You’ve got Julio Jones, you still got an experienced quarterback in Matt Ryan, you got Calvin Ridley. So you’ve got elite wideouts along with you know they’ve always run by a committee with Freeman and Coleman at once upon a time. Now you’re going to add Gurley to the mix.”

Gurley will have a strong offense that won’t have to rely on him, unlike past offenses. This will give his knee a big break. The Falcons are also expected to draft a running back early in the draft this year.

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