Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Memorial Day Weekend

It’s that time again: Friday’s Falcoholinks.

Juli—OHNO

As we were preparing for the summer doldrums to commence and Dave Choate had retreated to his offseason hideyhole like the Falcoholic’s version of that bear on the Sleepytime Tea box, Julio Jones busted in with the headlines like a bad news Kool-Aid Man.

Appearing by phone — and possibly unaware — on FS1’s Undisputed, Falcons’ star wide receiver finally put the rumors and rumblings to rest: he wants out of Atlanta. That kicked Chaote from his slumber like an M-80 in the sheets and moved the entire Falcons fanbase into DEFCON-1. Julio Jones, the franchise’s leading receiver and one of the greatest to ever do it in the NFL will likely be catching passes for another team in short order — and it’s been brewing for quite some time.

What a weird start to the week.

Jones had reportedly requested a trade in advance of the 2021 NFL Draft, and while Shannon Sharpe blew it all out of the water, the Falcons are still determined to remain mum on the subject until it comes to its conclusion. Nevertheless, quarterback Matt Ryan is determined to hit the ground running regardless of the outcome.

So what does it all mean? Well, aside from our increased anxiety and alcohol consumption, it means that Julio Jones is firmly committed to closing this chapter of his career and that Calvin Ridley must be really ready to assume the role of WR1. Oh, and it means the Falcons went out and signed wide receiver Tajae Sharpe.

Offseason roster previews: The lines

So how are the respective trenches looking? We address that in our latest two entries in our offseason roster preview series.

First, we looked at the offensive side of the ball, a unit that is still definitely a work-in-progress: the offensive line. While they’ve added a handful of early-round draftees in the last couple of years, Alex Mack’s departure has definitely left a gaping hole in the middle of the line. And that left guard spot? Oof.

The defensive line’s composition is a bit more established, and costlier to boot. If the Falcons hope to have success on defense, Grady Jarrett will have to do his normal Grady Jarrett thing and Dante Fowler needs to bounce back.

Intriguing matchups: Week 1

The Falcons take on the Eagles in Atlanta on opening week — so what are the best on-field matchups for Week 1?

UDFA Q&A: Louisville RB Javian Hawkins

Lauded as one of Atlanta’s big gets on the UDFA market, former Louisville running back Javian Hawkins took some time to talk to our Evan Birchfield on his rookie minicamp experience and expectations for 2021.

Fans in the stands and a cap agreement

The U.S. seems to have finally turned the corner in the pandemic, and as such things are returning to relative normal. That appears to include training camp, as the NFL told teams on a recent call that they expect fans to be able to attend training camps this summer.

Big news as well, as the league and the NFLPA have come to an agreement on the 2022 salary-cap figure.

The Falcoholic Live Episode 145

The Athletic’s Tori McElhaney joined the crew of The Falcoholic Live on Wednesday evening to discuss the topic of the hour: The slow, ever-expansion of the universe and our inevitable devolution into interstellar space dust drifting about the windless nothingness of the galaxy until the end of time.

No, they talked about Julio Jones. Miss the episode live? We’ve got you covered with the replay right here.