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10 NFL players who will be a letdown in 2021

By Randy Gurzi

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams throws the ball during open practice at SoFi Stadium on June 10, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams throws the ball during open practice at SoFi Stadium on June 10, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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NFL 2021
Dante Fowler, Atlanta Falcons (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

8. Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE, Atlanta Falcons

The entire Atlanta Falcons organization has undergone some big changes as they moved on from head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff and they head into 2021 with Arthur Smith as their new coach and Terry Fontenot as the GM.

Atlanta also traded away one of their best players when they sent Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, which was Smith’s former stomping grounds. With him out, they will be turning to Calvin Ridley as the No. 1 wide receiver.

While they do need the offense to stay high-powered, the defense is what will make or break this team in 2021 — and based on what we saw last season, that’s going to be a tall order. Atlanta had one of the worst defenses in the NFL and one of their biggest letdowns was Dante Fowler, Jr.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars No. 3 overall selection finally started to break out in 2019 with the L.A. Rams when he had 11.5 sacks. That led to the Falcons signing him to a three-year deal worth $48 million.

In his first year with the team, he was a disappointment with 23 tackles and three sacks. There’s hope in Atlanta that he can be better with a new coaching staff but the truth is, 2019 seems to be the anomaly meaning Atlanta will likely be in a similar boat in 2020 when it comes to Fowler.

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