Matt Ryan, who signed a $113.75 million contract last offseason, is in total control of the Falcons, and he knows it.
Ryan, who’s set to enter his seventh season in the NFL, is trying to bounce back from his first losing season.
He’ll have to lead an evolution of the offense without the aid of his security blanket, tight end Tony Gonzalez.
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In his final two seasons under offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Gonzalez caught 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns in 2012 and 83 passes for 859 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
“As Tony has moved on, we’re going to have to find different ways to replace some of the production that he gave us,” Ryan said.
The Falcons don’t have a replacement on the roster. At OTAs last week, Mickey Shuler received a lot of action with the first-team offense. Levine Toilolo was the backup last season, and the team signed blocking tight end Bear Pascoe over the offseason.
So who does Matt Ryan plan to count on? Receiver Harry Douglas.
“I think he can fit into that role really well,” Ryan said.
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