The Atlanta Falcons’ fall coincided neatly with their decision to sign Devin Hester to be their returner. That’s deeply unfortunate, because having Hester back there gave the team a truly electric threat for the first time in years, and the Falcons haven’t had much luck replacing him.
In 2016, the team turned to longtime special teams ace Eric Weems. In 2017, they turned to well-regarded returner and veteran receiver Andre Roberts. In both cases, they got unobjectionable but somehow still frustrating returns, and chances are very good they’ll be turning the return game over to a fresh face in 2018.