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TMZ keeps finding Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones each time he lands at LAX. Like always, Jones was ready to answer some questions about the Falcons. As he was exiting LAX on Friday evening, a reporter brought up questions about Matt Ryan’s future.
Jones was asked if the Falcons should look to the future and draft a quarterback such as Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, or Trevor Lawrence. Tagovailoa, perhaps the best quarterback from Julio’s alma mater in decades, could drop in the draft due to an injury. However, there is no chance the Falcons get within striking distance of Burrow.
Julio Jones On Falcons Drafting Tua, We've Already Got Our Franchise QB https://t.co/1Y6weyyfyY
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 11, 2020
“We have our franchise quarterback there in Matt Ryan,” Jones said. “The general manager, he got to do his thing. The general manager and everybody, that’s their job to kinda handle all that stuff.”
Jones was then asked if the Falcons would be the Falcons we’ve seen in years past, such as in 2016?
“The thing is as far as the Falcons, and anything with football is about staying healthy,” Jones responded. “You know, we lose guys and you don’t want to blame it on things like that. But the biggest thing is staying healthy. You have to have your key guys out there and your leaders to go out there and perform, and when the going gets tough, step up and make plays for you.”
The Falcons have three selections in the first 55 picks of the 2020 NFL Draft, and with quarterback Matt Ryan being sacked a career-high 48 times, I can’t imagine a new quarterback being at the top of general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s list.
Even if the Falcons wanted a quarterback, Tua and Joe Burrow will be long gone by the 16th pick, and Trevor Lawrence isn’t in this draft. It is however interesting to hear Julio’s thoughts on the health of the team, and understanding that having someone like Keanu Neal out for basically two seasons doesn’t help anyone.
Now entering his 13th NFL season, Ryan has a chance to crack the top ten in NFL history in most every passing category you can think of next season. In 2019, Ryan surpassed Warren Moon on the NFL’s all-time passing list and currently has the 10th-most passing yards in league history. The Ryan-Julio connection should continue for years to come.