With the trade deadline closing in, the buzz around first-round wideouts from the 2024 NFL Draft has only gotten louder. Houston already made the bold move for Marvin Harrison Jr., and that kind of change of scenery has started to unlock him. Brian Thomas Jr. has now been tossed into that same conversation, with the Atlanta Falcons floating as a possible landing spot.
Thomas’ profile is obvious enough. As a rookie, he put up 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He has the size, the speed, and the kind of ceiling teams usually chase when they start shopping for receiver help. But the rest of this season has gone nowhere near the way Jacksonville hoped.
Since that rookie surge, his production has flattened out. He has not fit Liam Coen’s system, and the Jaguars’ passing game has moved around him. Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, and Josh Cameron have all passed him on the depth chart, while Trevor Lawrence has also leaned more toward Brenton Strange and Bhayshul Tuten.
The last two games have been especially rough. Thomas did not catch a pass in either one, and in Jacksonville’s 34-31 overseas loss to the Houston Texans in Week 6, he didn’t even play a snap in the second half. That kind of usage has only fueled the frustration around him, especially for fantasy managers waiting on a trade that keeps feeling closer and closer.
Jacksonville keeps saying it has no intention of moving him because he’s a strong run blocker. But that kind of stance only lasts until the right offer shows up, and the league has a way of changing its mind fast when a young receiver starts slipping.
That’s where Atlanta enters the picture, at least in rumor form. New Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham is not shy about making aggressive moves, so if Thomas were truly available, the possibility of Atlanta doing something big can’t be dismissed outright.
Even so, the fit is hard to love.
Michael Penix Jr. is one of the better deep-ball passers in the NFL, and that matters with a 23-year-old receiver who has real speed and more than two years of club control left. But the Falcons already have Drake London handling the X receiver role and moving around the formation, which makes the target distribution tricky. A London-Thomas pairing would have juice, but it also raises a simple question: how dependable is Thomas as a true field stretcher right now?
Atlanta also has reason to be patient. The Falcons are 2-4, and with that record, they do not need to rush into buying at the deadline.
They can draft receiver help later or use their 2027 cap space for another swing. At a time when explosive wideouts are easier to find than they used to be, paying for a struggling one feels like a risky use of resources.
The current receiver room makes the case against Thomas even stronger. Jahan Dotson has come on lately and become Penix’s preferred downfield option, clearing 54 receiving yards in three straight games after a slow start. Thomas would be asked to fill essentially the same kind of role.
Dotson and Thomas are doing similar jobs, and Dotson has the edge where it matters most right now: production. The former first-round pick has only two more catches than Thomas, but he has more than twice the yardage. If Atlanta is already getting that kind of downfield impact, it makes little sense to disrupt the mix just to chase another version of it.
It would have sounded wild two years ago to suggest Brian Thomas Jr. might be available and still not worth the trouble. But that is where this has landed. The Falcons could use more receiver depth, yet adding Thomas could mean taking snaps from Dotson and Zachariah Branch, or paying a premium for a player who needs fixing.
Ian Cunningham and James Gladstone have already pulled off one trade together. A second one does not feel likely here. Brian Thomas Jr. is the kind of deadline gamble the Falcons should probably leave alone.
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Raheem Morris is coming back to Atlanta in a different role than the one Falcons fans remember. After two seasons as the teams head coach, he was let go in January and quickly landed with the San Francisco 49ers as defensive coordinator, where his group has been one of the NFLs more efficient units. The return sets up a reunion that feels bigger than a routine coaching matchup, especially for a Falcons team that knows Morris well and will spend all week preparing for a defense shaped by his hand.
Players have already acknowledged the familiarity that comes with seeing Morris on the other sideline, and theres no mystery about why this game carries extra weight. Atlanta will get a close look at how one of its own former coaches has translated his approach into success elsewhere, while Morris gets a chance to walk back into the building with a defense that has carried its share of respect around the league. For the Falcons, its a reminder of how quickly old ties can turn into a fresh problem. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons May Be Running Out Of Patience With This Receiver
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Zachariah Branch is the name to watch next. The third-round rookie is still sitting behind Zaccheaus on the depth chart, but the Falcons have seen enough flashes to keep the conversation alive about a bigger role for him. If Atlanta is going to find more juice in the passing game, the next adjustment at receiver may have to come sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Tommy Rees Knows Whats Fueling The Falcons Early Offensive Holes
The Falcons recent sluggish offensive starts have put the spotlight on Tommy Rees, and the first-year coordinator isnt trying to push that attention anywhere else. As Atlanta gets ready to face the 49ers, Rees said the early failed drives and slow openings are on him, a candid admission that the offense has not been getting into rhythm quickly enough.
Rees said the fix starts with getting the ground game going early and keeping the attack balanced, which should help create cleaner chances for Michael Penix Jr. and the rest of the unit. For Atlanta, the formula is simple enough in theory, but it has to show up from the first series if the Falcons want to avoid another slow beginning. [Read more 🡒]