Getty Quarterback Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons huddles with the team.
The New England Patriots are reportedly releasing veteran wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. The question pondering Atlanta fans is whether or not he’ll be a Falcon again.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport heard about the release from a source on Wednesday evening.
Source: The #Patriots are releasing veteran WR Mohamed Sanu. A surprise.
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The Falcons worked out a few receivers over the weekend but opted to go with a fourth QB, Kyle Lauletta. However, it’s obvious that the WR position is still on their mind.
Falcons Trade Sanu to Patriots
In October 2019, the Falcons traded Sanu to New England in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick. After a dreadful 1-6 start to the 2019 season, Dan Quinn knew he had to make some changes both offensively and defensively so that extra pick was worth it. The Falcons eventually used that pick to trade the Ravens for tight end, Hayden Hurst.
Prior to heading to New England, Sanu spent four seasons in Atlanta. The Patriots reportedly had their eyes on Sanu for quite some time and even tried to steal him in the 2019 NFL draft.
Sanu got off to a nice start in New England, catching 10 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in his second game. Returning a punt in his third game, Sanu sprained his ankle which seemed to slow him down the rest of the season. He underwent surgery over the offseason.
Sanu had a career-high 67 catches for the Falcons in 2017 and followed up with 66 catches for a career-best 838 yards last season.
The 31-year-old matched up well with Matt Ryan from 2016-2018. In four seasons, Sanu caught 192 passes for 2,194 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also helped the Falcons to the Super Bowl.
Sanu is entering his eighth NFL season after spending his first four years with the Cincinnati Bengals. He has consistently been a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver for most of his career and averaged between 500 and 700 receiving yards with 4 to 5 touchdowns per season.
Should Falcons Re-Sign?
Atlanta has a habit of letting players go then bringing them back. However, this time around, the only benefit the Falcons would be getting with Sanu is some veteran experience to help the rookies and younger wideouts. They already have that with Julio Jones and even Laquon Treadwell.
Aside from Calvin Ridley‘s projected breakout season, Sanu’s replacement in 2019, Russell Gage, is getting a lot of attention.
Of course, Sanu would be more than welcome coming back and if he did return, he’d likely take Treadwell’s place. The Falcons like familiarity and if Sanu is cost-efficient now, I wouldn’t rule it out. And if he doesn’t, well the Falcons are in fine shape at receiver depth.
Russell Gage Steps Up
After Sanu was traded, Gage filled the backup slot receiver void. He played in a total of nine games and started four of the last six games of the season.
Gage saw just eight targets and caught four passes for 44 yards before Sanu went to New England and then his production jumped drastically. In just the first game with Sanu’s absence, Gage was able to pass those marks catching seven passes for 58 yards on just nine targets.
“When Russ got more opportunities, his talent started to show up,” Falcons’ offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter told reporters back in May. “I think part of it is his confidence grew, and as his confidence grew he got better. Just for any player that goes from a role player to at least a part-time starter, I think consistency is the next phase.”
Gage was targeted 66 times and caught 45 passes for 402 yards and a touchdown. He finished the 2019 season with four 50-plus-yard games and caught five passes in six games.
Koetter expects to see a big jump in Gage’s performance this season.
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