Disclaimer: The statements and opinions regarding players and/or potential future players in the article below are those of the AtlantaFalcons.com editorial staff and are not of the Atlanta Falcons' football personnel unless noted in a direct quote.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — An area in need of improvement is the Atlanta Falcons' red-zone offense.
It's not necessarily bad. The Falcons ranked 20th last season, finding success a little more than half of the time – 54.7%, to be exact. But it could clearly be better.
A possible solution for that may be signing free agent wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine when the 2025 market officially opens March 12 with the introduction of the new league year.
The 27-year-old had a career year in 2024 with the Tennessee Titans, totaling a personal-high 497 yards receiving and catching a personal-best nine touchdowns. It's obviously the latter mark that should pique the Falcons' interest.
Nine receiving touchdowns tied for ninth most in the NFL. The impressive part is that Westbrook-Ikhine had the fewer targets (60) and receptions (32) than any other player matching or above him in the rankings. For example, Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had 17 touchdowns amid 175 targets and 127 receptions. Another example, the Falcons' own wide receiver, Drake London, had the same nine touchdowns but across 158 targets and 100 receptions.
Westbrook-Ikhine wasn't the Titans' No. 1 wideout. That honor went to former Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who finished with his third 1,000-yard season. But Westbrook-Ikhine had more than double Ridley's touchdown count of four. And six of Westbrook-Ikhine's nine touchdowns were in the red zone, while just one of Ridley's was. So, depends on what a team needs.
The Falcons scored 43 touchdowns overall last season. Twenty-nine of those came within the 20-yard line, and then 12 of those were via passing.
London caught the most red-zone touchdown passes at seven, while tight end Kyle Pitts had two and three others – running back Bijan Robinson, wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III – had one apiece.
There are many reasons why London is the Falcons' go-to guy. He's massive, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in 213 pounds, and regularly able to use his size to his advantage.
Mooney, meanwhile, is smaller at 5-foot-22 and 177 pounds, but he's super quick as a result and a consistent downfield threat.
The WR3 spot was up for grabs in training camp. McCloud and Rondale Moore were competing for it until Moore sustained a season-ending knee injury during joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, before the first preseason game. McCloud earned his role nonetheless and proved the Falcons a different quick-hit option.
Still, even though McCloud was an asset last season, the WR3 spot will likely be up for grabs again in training camp. Competition is not only inevitable but for the best. And as last season proved, injuries are always possible, so it's important to nourish depth.
That's where Westbrook-Ikhine comes in, if the Falcons were to consider and sign him in free agency. His height (6-foot-2) and weight (211 pounds) put him in between London and Mooney, so he doesn't prove as much physical diversity as McCloud. But Westbrook-Ikhine's ability to find the end zone is undeniable and therefore should be attractive to Atlanta's offense.
