Falcons must find a way to block for Hester

By now I'm sure you've heard about Devin Hester's 3 year contract. Make no mistake, he's a dynamic talent with a proven track record, at least in the return game.

While there's talk of finding Hester some role in the offense, that's a possibility shrouded in ambiguity. We know he wasn't particularly effective as a receiver in Chicago, and there's reason to doubt his ability to turn that around in Atlanta. But we are sure of is his ability to contribute in the return game, right?

Hester could eclipse 10,000 return yards in 2014, assuming we find a way to block for him. But are you comfortable making that assumption?

The Falcons were, according to Football Outsiders, 1.6 percent more efficient than league-average when returning kickoffs in 2013. By contrast, they were 6.2 percent less efficient than league-average when returning punts. Basically they were mediocre at best. You can put that on Jacquizz Rodgers and Robert McClain, but let's be honest, it was a problem with the return units, not a just a problem with the returners.

In short, I'm just wondering if the Falcons can even block for Hester. If not, that $3 million a year, a sum that doesn't really make or break the bank, won't really be worth it.