What can we expect from Roddy White in 2015?

Earlier this week, The DW reviewed the team's wide receivers. I wanted to take a step back and consider how Roddy White, specifically, might fare.

Roddy heads into the 2015 season with 765 receptions, 10,357 yards and 62 receiving touchdowns to his name. At the moment, he's indisputably the most productive receiver in Falcons history, and his legacy is assured even if Julio Jones blows past him at some point in the next decade. The question for Roddy is what the tail end of his career is going to look like, particularly this coming year.

It helps to look back before we look forward. His Pro Football Focus rating took a hit last year, but he was still a mighty productive possession receiver, piling up 80 catches for 921 yards and seven touchdowns. It's trendy to say a wide receiver has lost a step, but it sometimes appears true in Roddy's case, as his average yards per reception has come down to the 11 yard range after hovering between 13-16 most of his career. What

So what can we expect from Roddy in 2015, given that the team added two tight ends, a rookie receiver in Justin Hardy and veteran receiver Leonard Hankerson to the roster? It might be tempting to say Roddy will see his numbers decline, but I have to believe you won't see a wholesale drop. He's simply too good, even at age 33, to say that Hardy or Hankerson will manage to surpass him.

Personally, I believe you'll see Roddy putting together another solid season, with 70-plus catches, a smattering of touchdowns and plenty of tough first downs. He's never been completely reliant on his athleticism, so aging shouldn't turn White into a nonentity anytime soon, even if he's not going to get loose and wreak havoc down the field any longer. The Falcons will look to Julio Jones to take the top off of defenses while White eats on intermediate routes, with Jacob Tamme and Justin Hardy working short-and-intermediate. With Devin Hester, Leonard Hankerson and even Antone Smith lurking as options outside, White should be able to earn some favorable matchups, particularly if the team is willing to kick him into the slot more often than they have the last two years.

The bottom line is that as long as he's healthy, his rapport with Matt Ryan and ability to fight his way open makes him a contributor. There will come a day where Roddy White isn't a viable #2 receiver in the NFL, but I doubt we're there.

Go ahead and project Roddy's production, as well as his Falcons future.