ATLANTA — Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot inherited a Falcons roster with four really good players. Two of those guys are available for 2022, Matt Ryan and Grady Jarrett. Wide receiver Julio Jones forced a trade before last season. His heir apparent, Calvin Ridley, will serve a league suspension in 2022 for gambling on football.
Smith and Fontenot have made some mistakes. No coach or general manager gets everything right. They’ve also been swept up by forces largely outside of their control. Jones was disgruntled before the new regime even made it to Flowery Branch. Ridley violated the league’s gambling rules while away from the team.
Quick turnarounds are possible in the NFL, but it’s hard to see how the Falcons get much better soon. Ridley’s return to form was a big part of any optimistic projections for 2022. He missed the final 11 games of 2021 because he said he needed time to take care of his mental health. The best outcome for the Falcons with Ridley is that he’d become a productive player for them in 2022.
