Early Tuesday morning, Atlanta Falcons traded Mohamed Sanu to the New England Patriots who have been gunning for Sanu since before the 2019 Draft. In return, Atlanta received a second-round pick (basically a third-rounder). Mohamed Sanu adds another weapon for Tom Brady and the Patriots and even greatens their Super Bowl chances. This move shows that the team has started to turn their focus to 2020 and ride out the rest of 2019.
Mohamed Sanu’s Move Paves the Way for Young Receivers
Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus were two young players who stood out in the preseason. Gage has already made a few appearances this season and showed his potential. Atlanta activated Zaccheaus in light of this trade. These two guys will most likely split time with Hardy for their number 3/4 role. Furthermore, I hope these two pans their potential and not force Atlanta to spend an early pick for a receiver. They have other areas that need to be addressed and their play can help this transition.
Vic Beasley is Still on the Block
A lot of Falcon fans were shocked to see Mohamed Sanu go before Vic Beasley, who was placed on the block late last week. There just doesn’t seem to be a high market for Beasley. His play over the last few seasons has greatly hurt his stock. Vic Beasley’s best season occurred in 2016 when he accumulated 15 sacks. He has yet to reach that total in the past three years combined. This could be a result of changing his natural end position to outside linebacker, but he did end up switching back. Maybe that threw his game off. The market for pass rushers is typically hot and active. However, Beasley has had such a drop in play that he may be untradeable all around.
How Much Longer Will Freeman Stay in Atlanta
Starting in 2017, Freeman has been one of the most disappointing offensive Falcons players. His 2018 season was ended early on with an ACL tear. The Falcons offloaded Tevin Coleman in the offense for both cap purposes and the hope that Freeman could be the back he once was before his injury. Freeman has yet to come close to a 100-yard rushing game this season. His frustration showed on Sunday when he was ejected for fighting Aaron Donald. The current concussion to Ito Smith could prevent a Freeman move this season, but the Falcons may look to offload him in the offseason.
Could Atlanta Trade Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper has shown he can be the league’s best tight end very soon. However, he’s currently on the final year of his rookie deal and is surely wanting to get paid. The problem is though, Atlanta doesn’t have any room in their cap for the pay he deserves. If Atlanta cannot pay him, they’re stuck with 2 options. Trade him now for whatever value he’s worth with no contract after this season, or let him walk for nothing.
Trading away Mohamed Sanu could mean that Hooper could see a lot more passes thrown his way as the team will now focus on both Ridley and Jones. I don’t want to lose this man due to his potential, but there’s only so much money to go around. More big names will have to go before he can hold Hooper down for good. Alex Mack has been floated around but it’s unlikely he’s gone after this season.
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