The Atlanta Falcons are at a unique point in their history. They're trying desperately to reestablish themselves. Why? Because the relative successes of the post-Michael Vick era are fading away. Meanwhile, with Dan Quinn at the helm, the front office is carefully rebuilding what's been an embarrassing defense in recent years. The state of the franchise is not ideal, but to be fair, it's not horrible either.
Quinn and the Falcons hope to take the league by surprise this season. The defense is certainly trending in the right direction and with any luck, the offense will be, at worst, solid. It's a crucial moment for this team, but there's no doubt in my mind that they can at least improve on a disastrous 2015. So which guys will help them do that?
Names like Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Desmond Trufant obviously come to mind. But what lesser known Falcons will surprise the league in 2016? Put differently, who is our best kept secret? For me two names immediately come to mind. The first is Grady Jarrett. The second is Ryan Schraeder. Both Garrett and Schraeder played well in 2015. (Schraeder was probably the best right tackle in the NFL last year.) I'm expecting both men to build on last season's successes and, in the process, become household names.
So what say you? Who is our best kept secret heading into 2016? Discuss!