Friday the 13th treated Atlanta Falcons fans well after the team traded for a massive wide receiver: former Las Vegas Raiders 2020 third-round pick Bryan Edwards.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal was the first to break the news via Twitter before ESPN’s Adam Schefter chimed in with the compensation details.
The @Raiders are trading wide receiver Bryan Ewards to the Atlanta Falcons. Terms not disclosed.
Per sources close to Schefter, the Raiders sent Edwards and a 2023 seventh-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for the Falcons’ 2023 fifth-round pick.
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Fans Go Crazy Over Edwards’ Size
A 6-foot-3, 212-pound receiver, Edwards has been compared to NFL greats such as Terrell Owens and Randy Moss, according to Raiders’ digital guy Levi Edwards.
Jon Gruden said on NFL Network Bryan Edwards has been looking like Terrell Owens, but he’s looking more like Randy Moss to me.
He’s been catching balls with corners draped over him all Training Camp.
And the big man joins two more giants on Atlanta’s receiving offense in 6-foot-6, 247-pound tight end Kyle Pitts and 6-foot-4, 209-pound wideout Drake London.
In fact, fans and the media members are already addressing the addition of his massive size across Twitter.:
Welcome to the Falcons Bryan Edwards
Kyle Pitts: 6’6, 247 lbs
Auden Tate: 6’5, 228 lbs
Drake London: 6’4, 219 lbs
Bryan Edwards: 6’3, 215 lbs
Cordarralle Patterson, 6’2, 220 lbs
The #Falcons got some BIG pass catchers ready to go this fall.
It looks like the Falcons are building a mobile brick wall:
Drake London – 6’4 219
Kyle Pitts – 6’6 245
Auden Tate – 6’5 228
Bryan Edwards – 6’3 215
Cordarrelle Patterson – 6’2 227
Arthur Smith is trying to play a physical brand of football. Put your mouthpiece in.
And some would say this was a smart move for the Falcons:
I loveeeeeee the move for Bryan Edwards!
One may even believe the exchange was a steal:
Bryan Edwards is gonna be a dog for Atlanta. They got a steal
The Falcons are could now be real competitors in the NFC South:
Saints:
Michael Thomas
Chris Olave
Jarvis Landry
Falcons:
Drake London
Kyle Pitts
Bryan Edwards
Bucs:
Mike Evans
Chris Godwin
Russell Gage
Panthers: DJ Moore
The Raiders drafted Edwards out of South Carolina at 81st overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He started alongside Henry Ruggs as a rookie and finished his first big league season appearing in 12 games with 3 starts, recording 11 receptions for 193 yards and one touchdown.
His production increased last year as Edwards finished the 2021 season with 34 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns.
The 23-year-old was a missing piece to Atlanta’s receiving depth and could end up being a long-term answer.
Falcons Have a Need for a Wide Receiver No. 1
The Falcons have had a need at wide receiver since trading away Julio Jones last off-season. Things only got worse from there as they “lost” Calvin Ridley to a mental health break amid the 2021 season and now to a gambling suspension that is set to last an entire season.
In place of Ridley, Russell Gage was forced to step up alongside Tajae Sharpe and Olamide Zaccheaus in 2021. While Gage did a decent job filling a void, he hit the open market at the end of the year and found a new home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sharpe also became a free agent but it seems the Falcons were fond enough of his production from last season to re-sign him as they did Zaccheaus.
With the re-signing of Zaccheaus, he automatically jumped to the No. 1 receiving slot on the team’s unofficial depth chart. But while the former 2019 undrafted free agent has shown flashes of potential, he hasn’t been reliable enough to be a top wideout that the Falcons can count on that will make them 2022 contenders.
That being said, the Falcons’ recent additions of No. 8 overall pick Drake London from last month’s draft and Bryan Edwards should solidify their receiving room and put them in a better position to at least keep up with their opponents this year.
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Viral Photo of Newest Falcons WR Has Fans & Media Giddy [LOOK]