ATLANTA FALCONS (7-10)
CAMP SITE: Flowery Branch, Ga.
LAST YEAR: The Falcons, looking for a fresh start under first-year coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot, were outscored 459-313.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Maybe it won't be so easy for defenses to focus all their attention on Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts after all.
The Falcons added help for Pitts in the NFL draft, and with that help came impressive size.
8. ATLANTA FALCONS (7-10)
LAST SEASON: The Falcons were outscored 459-313, making seven wins something of an accomplishment under first-year coach Arthur Smith. Highlights included the play of rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, who led the team with 68 catches for 1,026 yards, and versatile Cordarrelle Patterson, who scored a combined 11 touchdowns while leading the team in rushing and finishing third in receptions.
ATLANTA FALCONS (7-10)
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: RB Cordarrelle Patterson, LB Foyesade Oluokun, TE Lee Smith, TE Hayden Hurst, S Erik Harris, PK Younghoe Koo, WR Russell Gage, QB A.J. McCarron, SS Duron Harmon, CB Isaiah Oliver, OL Josh Andrews, DE Steven Means, CB Fabian Moreau, LS Josh Harris, P Thomas Morstead, OLB Brandon Copeland, DE Jonathan Bullard, WR Tajae Sharpe, OT Jason Spriggs, LB Daren Bates, LB Dorian Etheridge.
The National Hypocrisy League strikes again.
The organization better known as the NFL moved quickly and decisively to punish receiver Calvin Ridley for betting legally on games while he was away from the Atlanta Falcons dealing with mental health issues.
The NFL spends multimillion dollars protecting the integrity of the game as it relates to gambling. Those expenditures paid off in the Calvin Ridley case.
The Atlanta Falcons receiver has been suspended for at least a season by Commissioner Roger Goodell for betting on NFL games.
Calvin Ridley had no inside information and, apparently, no idea how to bet. In other words, he was just like millions of other neophyte bettors lured in by promises of riches from sports betting operators and the leagues they cohabitate with.
ATLANTA (AP) — For endangering the integrity of the sport by betting on games, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended by the NFL for at least the next season.
Ridley won’t play in 2022 and there is no guarantee for the NFL future of the player who had been expected to be the Falcons’ top target for quarterback Matt Ryan.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank says the team must have a succession plan at quarterback even while Matt Ryan appears set to continue as the starter in 2022.
The Falcons face more complicated decisions at wide receiver, where Calvin Ridley's status remains uncertain.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Tuesday he's not ready to make 2022 plans to be without Calvin Ridley, the team's top wide receiver who missed the final 11 games of the season while addressing mental health issues.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Russell Gage's late-season emergence is especially important as quarterback Matt Ryan tries to keep the Atlanta Falcons' passing game moving despite more uncertainty at wide receiver.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Wide receiver Calvin Ridley will miss at least three games for the Atlanta Falcons after being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
The Falcons announced the roster designation on Friday.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Fantasy football fans trying to figure out which Atlanta Falcons wide receiver to plug in for Calvin Ridley should be warned.
The answer may change every week.
With Ridley out for an indefinite period of time while addressing mental health issues, quarterback Matt Ryan is preparing to pass to multiple players in Sunday's game at New Orleans.
ATLANTA (AP) — Calvin Ridley has stepped away from the Atlanta Falcons to deal with mental health issues, leaving behind a team that supports him fully but also must figure out a way to plug a huge hole in the passing game.
Calvin Ridley and Lane Johnson are speaking up in their fight against an opponent tougher than anyone or anything they’ve ever battled on a football field.
On a day Ridley said he’s stepping away from the Atlanta Falcons to deal with mental health issues, Johnson opened up about his struggles with anxiety that caused him to miss three games for the Philadelphia Eagles.
ATLANTA (AP) — Joining other well-known athletes who have struggled with mental health issues, Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley said he's stepping away from football after being a last-minute scratch from Sunday's game against Carolina.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Matt Ryan fell asleep during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, and wasn't even aware until waking up Sunday morning that the Atlanta Braves are heading to the World Series.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Matt Ryan is looking to see more growth from the offense when the Atlanta Falcons, refreshed after their bye week, play Sunday at Miami.
Top wide receiver Calvin Ridley's return should help.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons placed right tackle Kaleb McGary on the COVID-19 reserve list Monday, while top receiver Calvin Ridley returned to practice after skipping the team's last game for personal reasons.
LONDON (AP) — Matt Ryan didn't have his top two wide receivers in London. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback did have Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson — and that was enough, especially with the New York Jets stumbling early again.
WARE, England (AP) — Atlanta Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts is looking for his first touchdown, and the New York Jets want to keep it that way.
Pitts could play a key role for Matt Ryan and the Falcons after the team announced that leading receiver Calvin Ridley will not play in Sunday’s game in London for personal reasons.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons leading receiver Calvin Ridley will not play in Sunday's game against the New York Jets in London for personal reasons.
After Ridley was not present for Thursday's practice, the Falcons announced Ridley would not accompany the team to London “due to a personal matter.”
ATLANTA (AP) — A week after looking downright pathetic in a season-opening loss to Philadelphia, the Atlanta Falcons were at least competent in a 48-25 defeat at Tampa Bay.
The score was not entirely indicative of the game's flow, and first-year coach Arthur Smith was hardly despondent.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson finally beat Patrick Mahomes, using his legs to rush for 107 yards and scoring twice, including flipping into the end zone for the winning score as Baltimore defeated Kansas City 36-35 Sunday night.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons found themselves down by three in the fourth quarter with a real chance for a potential upset of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Those hopes were dashed in a disastrous finish that saw the Bucs score 20 points during the final quarter en route to a 48-25 win over Atlanta on Sunday.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Calvin Ridley doesn't sound worried about his new role as the go-to receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.
“I think I’m ready for that role, more than ready for that role,” Ridley said after Tuesday's first practice of training camp in full pads.
ATLANTA (AP) — There are plenty of reasons why the Atlanta Falcons have endured three consecutive losing seasons, but quarterback Matt Ryan has generally been one of the consistent bright spots.
That was hardly the case in a 20-17 loss in Los Angeles on Sunday when Ryan threw three interceptions, the last two costing the Falcons a chance to take a late lead.