5 offensive sleepers who could make an impact for the Falcons in 2024

Aside from Kirk Cousins, Bijan robinson, and receiving threats Drake London and Kyle Pitts, what other weapons can we see play a huge role in 2024?

The Falcons ranked just around middle of the pack in 2023 for offensive yards per game. While that’s not where they want to be in terms of rankings, many positives can be taken from how effectively the Falcons ran the ball with rookie running back Bijan Robinson and second year back Tyler Allgeier, as they ranked ninth for rushing in 2023 and had plenty of big moments on the ground.

Still, the Falcons struggled to put up points and take advantage of the opportunities given to them by defensive stops, ranking in the bottom 10 for points scored per game with just 18.9. Addressing these offensive deficiencies were a point of emphasis for 2024, and while we haven’t yet seen this new look offense in action, on paper the Falcons have a lot of offensive promise heading into the new season.

With veteran Kirk Cousins looking to revive a struggling offense, pass catchers Drake London and Kyle Pitts looking to tap into their respective potentials as some of the league’s premier pass catchers, and Robinson preparing to have a bigger role that sees him become one of the most dynamic running backs the league has seen, expectations are quite high ahead of Week 1. However, to truly take advantage of the talent on this roster, this offense will need more than just the aforementioned players to step up.

Here are five offensive sleepers that could make an impact for the Falcons in 2024.

Tyler Allgeier | Running Back

While it can be argued whether or not Tyler Allgeier is a true sleeper, mostly because we’ve seen the impact he can make for this team during his 1,035 yard rookie campaign, he can be seen as a sleeper given that Bijan Robinson will be a focus of the Falcons offense this year.

We’re still not entirely sure how we’ll see Allgeier utilized, and how well he’ll complement Robinson in the backfield. One would hope with both their unique skillsets, and their ability to get to the second level and make defenders miss, that we’ll see an almost even distribution of the workload on the ground. This was the case in 2023, with Allgeier accounting for around 47% of the carries between him and Robinson, but with a more Christian McCaffrey-esque role for Robinson in 2024, it’s likely that Allgeier’s portion of the workload could take a hit.

Nevertheless, it’s what Allgeier makes of the carries he gets that will make all the difference. We saw him average a very strong 4.9 yards per carry in 2022, as defenders struggled to take him down, breaking many runs for 15+ yards. He lost some of that effectiveness in year two, taking a 1.2 yards per cary hit and finishing the season with just 3.7 yards per carry. However, with the Falcons’ very predictable run scheme and role for Allgeier under then-head coach Arthur Smith, it’s hard to put all the blame on Allgeier.

This overhauled coaching staff could open things up for Allgeier, and he could find a way to build upon his rookie year even with Bijan’s production being the priority. With Zac Robinson bringing over elements from an offense that ranked 11th in rushing yards, and one that saw a breakout performance from 2nd year back Kyren Williams, along with head coach Raheem Morris bringing in knowledge of a successful two-back system from Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman-Tevin Coleman days, I imagine they can create a system that sees Allgeier play a crucial role in the offense’s success.

Darnell Mooney | Wide Receiver

Heading into his fifth year, Darnell Mooney looks to prove his worth on a new squad. He’s already shown that he’s capable of producing at a high level, going over 1,000 yards in his sophomore season with Chicago. During that year, he took on a larger role in the offense, even overtaking veteran wideout Allen Robinson II as the team’s top receiver.

His 2021 campaign saw several breakout performances from Mooney, as he put up four 120+ yard receiving games. Much of his success came on the deep ball. He was efficient on fade and post routes, frequently beating his defender off the snap and using his impeccable speed that helped him clock a 4.38 40 time at the combine in 2020. While only standing 5 feet 11 inches, his vertical was on full display, climbing over defensive backs and snagging the ball at its highest point.

A true playmaker, Mooney is looking to take those flashy plays, and combine them with a more well-rounded game to be a high-level contributor for Atlanta. With Drake London and Kyle Pitts expected to get most of the targets out of the pass catchers on this roster, Mooney could find his role as a solid WR2 who can stretch the defense out and space the field. His proven ability to make a play on the ball will be a crucial addition to a team that has struggled to establish effective deep route concepts in their arsenal.

Having Mooney as a consistent third receiving threat can be what this team needs to maintain momentum through games and the season, especially when defenses start throwing double teams at Kyle Pitts and Drake London, as they are certain to do.

Jase McClellan | Running Back

The Falcons selected Jase McClellan with the 186th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Spending all four years at Alabama, or what I refer to sometimes as Running Back University because it has a history of producing arguably the best power backs out of any college program in the 2010s, McClellan had to wait a while before he was truly given the keys to the backfield.

Becoming the starter in his senior season, McClellan finished with 803 yards on 4.8 yards per carry, and while that is not comparable to Derrick Henry’s 2,219 yards or Trent Richardson’s 1,740 yards in their respective final seasons at Alabama, McClellan showed how much of a difference maker he could be as his physical prowess was on full display. We saw a gritty runner who’s willing to put his body on the line for extra yards, and while he had many chunk plays and big runs for touchdowns, his ability to take what’s available and use his body to grind out those tough yards really stood out as a way to break down a defense.

His pass blocking is a bright spot as well, as he was responsible for fending off some of the best SEC rushers and frequently buying extra time for Jalen Milroe to survey the field. It’ll benefit the Falcons heavily to use his keen pass protection skills to give Cousins more time to deliver to Atlanta’s playmakers. Coming into an offense with two established runners at RB1 and RB2, McClellan will likely serve as a depth piece.

I imagine he’ll see the field plenty on special teams this year and occasionally on offense this year, especially if the Falcons want to preserve the longevity of Robinson and Allgeier. Barring an injury to the aforementioned backs, McClellan will have to work for his carries and make the most of them when his number is called. As mentioned previously, McClellan’s tenacity to get those tough yards could keep opposing defenses on the field, helping the Falcons dictate the pace of a game. He’ll be useful if and when he’s called upon.

Charlie Woerner | Tight End

After four years in San Francisco, Charlie Woerner signed a three-year deal with the Falcons in March of 2024. With the release of Jonnu Smith, signing Woerner now pairs him with fourth year tight end Kyle Pitts as the team’s new starting tight end duo. However, this duo will be quite different from the one that saw Pitts and Smith combine for 1,249 yards in 2023.

Woerner joins this offense as the Falcons’ primary blocking tight end, a task he has done quite well in San Francisco since his rookie year, where he showed real skill in run and pass protection alike. He finished as the third best run blocking tight end in the league with a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.8, a slight improvement to his 75.4 run blocking grade in 2021. As the Falcons look to make major improvements to both the run and pass this year, Woerner’s ability to be a brick wall at the line of scrimmage and buy time for plays to develop will be a much welcomed addition.

Stretch and outside runs under Arthur Smith’s play-calling didn’t yield much success, but that could all change with Woerner’s ability to wall off defenders and set the edge. While most of his contributions won’t show up in the box score, Woerner could be a vital cog in a more efficient Falcons offense in 2024.

Matthew Bergeron | Guard

The Falcons selected Bergeron with the 38th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Starting all four years during his time at Syracuse, Bergeron made a name for himself as one of the top tackles in college football. However, due to the Falcons’ desperate need for consistency at left guard, Bergeron would have to step out of his comfort zone and take snaps beside the center.

Adapting to a higher level of competition along with learning how to play guard couldn’t have been easy, and while he was not perfect, Bergeron exceeded many expectations for a player who was just learning the position for the first time. While he allowed six sacks and racked up four penalties, he finished the season as the #38th ranked guard, along with the fourth-best ranked rookie guard, and much like he did at Syracuse, stayed healthy and available while playing a team-high 1,127 offensive snaps.

In his second-year, he looks to establish some consistency in the guard role and take a huge leap in his snap-to-snap play, and he already has a top five guard in the league across from him in Chris Lindstrom that he can learn from. With the team trying to take advantage of the talent in the backfield, I imagine we’ll see Bergeron doing a lot more lateral movement, allowing him to showcase his agility on trap and stretch plays.

The Falcons offensive line has steadily improved in the last few years and now ranks among the best in the league, and while Lindstrom has been the Falcons only notable star as of late with two Pro Bowl selections in in the past two years, Bergeron has the skillset to be right there with him.

On paper, the Falcons are set up to be one of the premier offenses in the NFC. With talent across the board, this new-look coaching staff seeks to create schemes that capitalizes on players’ strengths. For Atlanta to be able to execute those schemes well, the team will need these five guys to understand their roles, grow in them, and ultimately perfect them.