Atlanta Falcons: 3 Players who need to step up in 2020

2. Hayden Hurst

One player that stepped up for Atlanta throughout the course of the 2019 campaign was tight end Austin Hooper while he emerged as a dominant option in the passing game to counter the likes of wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley throughout the field.

This offseason, however, Hooper left the Falcons organization to join the Cleveland Browns as a free agent, leaving a large hole in the middle of the field for Atlanta.

The Falcons didn’t waste any time in trying to find Hooper’s replacement, going out and trading for tight end Hayden Hurst from the Baltimore Ravens and inserting him into the already-potent offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan and others.

Last year, Hurst finished up his second season in the NFL and with Baltimore after he was selected by the Ravens out of South Carolina with the 25th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

During the regular season, Hurst put together his best season to date while appearing in all 16 contests for Baltimore. He ended the year with 30 receptions on 39 overall targets, recording a career-high 349 yards receiving and two touchdowns within an offense led by Lamar Jackson and company.

With the emergence of Mark Andrews in Baltimore, Hurst kind of got lost in the mix of things offensively in Baltimore, which makes sense why the Ravens would be willing to part ways with the tight end approaching the 2020 campaign.

Hurst, who will turn 27 years old in August, provides the Falcons with a large target in the middle of the field much like what Hooper presented the Atlanta offense for the past few years. He will jump right in and will have the ability to make an impact with his new team in 2020, but he does have some large shoes to fill with Hooper now gone.