
The Facts: The Julio Jones trade thrust Gage from third-fiddle behind two stars in Atlanta to the second chair. Entering his fourth season, the LSU product knows the pressure is on him to produce. "I understand my role may have increased, but I'm ready for it," Gage said, via the team's official website. "We're going to keep moving forward."
Diehards Line:
A sixth-round pick in 2018, Gage has seen his opportunities and production rise each season. After being buried on the depth chart as a rookie -- six catches for 63 yards -- the Falcons' trade of Mohamed Sanu midway through the 2019 campaign opened up a chance for Gage. He stepped through that door. The receiver generated 49 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown. Last season as a big piece of the puzzle, particularly when his fellow wideouts dealt with injury, Gage went off for 72 catches for 786 yards and four touchdowns. "There's no better teacher than the game," Gage said. "Being out there and taking those reps really helped me to settle in, settle into those spots, the Z or X position or whatever it may be. I'm going to take a lot of that stuff and carry it over into this year." With Jones gone, the Falcons will rely on Gage to be WR2 behind Calvin Ridley. Given the rest of the receivers on the roster, the expectation is that the Falcons will run a lot of dual-TE sets with rookie Kyle Pitts and former first-rounder Hayden Hurst?. After seeing a career-high 762 snaps last season, Gage will be an every-down player in 2021.