Hester is an offensive weapon, too

Falcons wide receiver Devin Hester, after not catching a pass last season with the Chicago Bears, wanted to carve out him a niche role in the offense.

During the exhibition season, Hester has six catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a 31-yard touchdown against Tennessee on Saturday.

“He’s a special athlete,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “I think our offensive staff has done a very good job of identifying what his strengths are and creating opportunities for him to get the ball in his hands.”

Hester caught 51 passes in 2008 and 57 in 2009. Last season, under first-year Bears coach Marc Trestman, he was not a factor on offense.

“When we signed him, first and foremost, he was a returner,” Smith said. “But the very first discussion that we had, he said ‘Smitty, I want to play wide receiver. I think I can play wide receiver.’ I was in complete agreement. When you have a guy that is that dynamic, he can add to our weapons on the offensive side, not just on special teams.”

About the Author

Next opponent for Falcons: A quick look at Bryce Young and the Panthers

Quarterback Bryce Young continues to struggle, but the Panthers' run game ranks eighth in the league, which will be a tough task for the Falcons' 29th-ranked rush defense.

Raheem Morris addresses Penix, third downs, clock management, staff performance

Falcons coach Raheem Morris talks over Sunday' loss to the Indianapolis Colts and gives his support to quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Taylor’s big day dooms Atlanta

Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss said the defense 'stopped playing' during Jonathan Taylor's 83-yard touchdown run in the overtime loss to the Colts.

The Latest

Credit: AP

Next opponent for Falcons: A quick look at Bryce Young and the Panthers

Raheem Morris addresses Penix, third downs, clock management, staff performance

5 things we learned from the Falcons’ 31-25 loss to the Colts

Featured

Credit: NYT

DeKalb school district reveals $4M social media addiction problem

The district is suing social media companies to get them to pay for addressing students' addiction to apps like Instagram. The companies argue they aren't to blame.

Atlanta airport sees continued cancellations because of shutdown

More than 115 flight cancellations were recorded on a quieter frigid Tuesday morning, far below Saturday's surge of 370.

For Ossoff and Georgia Democrats, the shutdown fight is the message

The fight over the federal government shutdown has allowed Georgia Democrats, like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, to show that they have the grit to stand up to Republicans.