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Falcons TWESTOTE of the Day: Justin Peelle's Future as a Falcon

By James Rael

There are mixed reports about Justin Peelle's knee. If there's one thing I hate more than mixed reports, it's the Saints. But I digress. They're not rant-worthy today.

In my estimation, there are three potential scenarios:

(1) Injury is de minimis and Reggie Kelly is nothing more than an insurance policy

(2) Injury is serious and Reggie Kelly will be our number 2 TE going forward

(3) Dave is a phelgm-spewing space alien who eats raw goose eggs whole and terrorizes young children whilst they sell lemonade to raise funds for cancer research

I'm thinking option number three is accurate, but that's besides the point. If you're too lazy to click the link - which I totally respect - here's what Sporting News has to say about the addition of Kelly:

Kelly is expected to provide blocking and help keep the running game rolling. He had a visit to Pittsburgh, but wanted to play with the Falcons.

After TE Justin Peelle suffered a severe injury that will cause him to miss some major time, the Falcons worked out Anthony Becht, who had been out of football for a year, and Kelly.

Yikes McGee! Let's break this down after the jump.

Don't get me wrong, Peelle has served as a solid backup in recent years. But given that he's amassed 37 receptions in three years - and less receptions each year - it's not like he's totally irreplaceable. Michael Palmer has a lot of upside, and let's be honest, it's only a matter of time before the Falcons draft or trade for their TE of the future. Or at least I hope it is.

Kelly doesn't exactly bring anything to the table that Peelle doesn't. He's caught more passes in his career, but then again he hasn't played behind the greatest TE in NFL history since '09. They're about the same size and only two years separate them. Heck, they could be twins. Knarly, defensive linemen-destroying twins.

My point is this: Peelle's time in a Falcons uni was already limited. If he misses the majority of the season - or Vishnu forbid the entire season - then I won't be surprised if the FO goes in a different direction next year. It's a business. And business decisions must be made.

What do y'all think?

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