FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – One of the most intriguing battles of the Falcons offseason will be who wins the No. 3 receiver spot.
And in addition to Justin Hardy, head coach Dan Quinn is confident in two players he has on his current roster who could step up and fill that role.
Those two players are Marvin Hall and Reggie Davis.
Both Hall and Davis shined during training camp in 2017 ultimately leading to spots on the practice squad. Hall was promoted from practice squad to the active roster in October and remained on the 53-man roster for the rest of the season.
Hall caught two passes, one resulting in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan against the Miami Dolphins in Week 6. Davis showed a glimpse of what he can bring when he caught eight passes for 127 yards in the preseason.
Player development is something Quinn and his coaching staff take pride in and both Hall and Davis are two players the Falcons have invested in over the past year.
"We are developmental staff," Quinn said. "We love bringing guys up through the program and developing them. That leads us to Reggie Davis and to Marvin Hall. These two guys can really haul. We've spent a lot time on their development and will continue to do that and that will be where we look first."
Sure, Quinn likes the speed both Hall and Davis bring to the table. But that's not enough for either one to win the No. 3 spot, they have to show consistency and provide value on special teams.
"They have to show that they can be really reliable and consistent all the time," Quinn said. "Both of them would have to add value on special teams. The guy who is going to be our third receiver I bet plays close to 40 percent of the snaps so they'll have a significant role offensively."
Receiver could also be a position the Falcons draft this year as well. Although it' s not the primary need for the team, it's a position that Atlanta could add depth too in the later or middle rounds. Quinn said the Falcons will "definitely add guys to the mix at that spot."
