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Falcons Trade Calvin Ridley to Jaguars; Right Move For Atlanta?

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Falcons Trade Calvin Ridley to Jaguars; Right Move For Atlanta?


It wasn’t supposed to finish this fashion.

When receiver Calvin Ridley was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons within the first spherical of the 2018 NFL Draft, he appeared poised to develop into the franchise’s subsequent nice wideout, following within the steps of Roddy White and Julio Jones.

After incomes All-Professional honors in 2020 throughout a breakout 90-reception, close to 1,400-yard season, Ridley had firmly established himself as one of many league’s premiere wideouts.

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Then, all of it flipped.

The Falcons employed coach Arthur Smith and common supervisor Terry Fontenot to headline a brand new period for the group. Just a few months later, Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans, thrusting Ridley into the clear-cut No. 1 receiver position.

The previous Alabama Crimson Tide star appeared prepared for it; he was seen as a high-end route runner, had a confirmed rapport with quarterback Matt Ryan and was coming off his third skilled season through which he ranked ninth in franchise historical past in receiving yards – behind solely Jones and White.

And but, issues simply did not work out below Smith; Ridley’s high-finesse playstyle wasn’t actually a match for the brand new offense, which is centered round physicality and in-breaking routes. In 5 video games below Smith, Ridley noticed 52 targets however hauled in simply 31 of them, totaling 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Then, it spiraled uncontrolled.

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Ridley did not journey with the workforce when Atlanta performed the New York Jets in London, citing psychological well being causes. He returned the next sport, catching 4 passes for 26 yards and a rating in a Falcons victory.

The sport proved to be Ridley’s final for the season and, finally tenure in Atlanta.

Smith and Fontenot didn’t reveal a lot info surrounding Ridley’s standing, merely leaving it as a psychological well being matter. Atlanta reportedly had commerce discussions involving Ridley this previous offseason, however these halted when he was suspended for the whole lot of the 2022 season as a result of playing. Some speculated that Ridley may return after his suspension ended, however it by no means appeared real looking.

In lower than a calendar yr, Ridley went from blossoming younger star, reigning All-Professional and potential franchise staple to suspended and on his method out.

All of that led to Tuesday, when the Falcons traded Ridley to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2023 fifth-round and conditional 2024 fourth-round decide that turns into a 3rd if Ridley meets sure incentives and a second if Jacksonville indicators him to a contract extension.

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Ridley, 27, has one season left on his contract, and if he is in a position to return to his prior stage of play, will virtually definitely obtain a hefty payday.

Finally, it was all the time going to be troublesome for Ridley and the Falcons to reunite. Contract apart, the match wasn’t there, and it merely made little sense for both occasion to proceed transferring ahead.

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In Jacksonville, Ridley will get a contemporary begin with a brand new offensive workers and younger quarterback. Initially from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Ridley will likely be returning to the Sunshine State with an opportunity to reinvent himself and get again to what he as soon as was.

As for the Falcons, the haul is kind of lower than the rumored first-round decide up for grabs earlier than Ridley’s suspension, however there is a honest probability that the 2024 decide turns into a top-100 choice and Fontenot has put fifth-round picks to good use throughout his tenure.

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Via two drafts, Atlanta has made 4 alternatives within the fifth spherical: defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham, exterior linebacker Ade Ogundeji, return specialist Avery Williams and working again Tyler Allgeier.

Graham has began each sport this season and is a budding affect participant on the within of the Falcons’ line of defense, alongside Grady Jarrett. Ogundeji has began all seven video games he is appeared in and has developed into a top quality run defender that holds a key position in Atlanta’s rotation.

Williams handles each kick and punt return duties and has sprung a number of huge runs of late. He is additionally extremely versatile, dealing with a number of roles on particular groups whereas taking part in working again, receiver and cornerback, giving the Falcons vital roster flexibility.

Allgeier has began every of the final 4 video games instead of the injured Cordarrelle Patterson and continues to develop increasingly more assured. As such, his play is trending up, as proven by his 25-yard receiving landing in opposition to the Carolina Panthers.

So, may the Falcons have gotten a greater, extra worthwhile return for Ridley had the final 13 months’ value of occasions not occurred? Actually.

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Nevertheless, Fontenot has confirmed he can add affect gamers within the center rounds, and there is a strong probability the Falcons nonetheless get a decide within the top-100 in 2024, nonetheless.

However maybe most significantly is that Atlanta has second-year Professional Bowl tight finish Kyle Pitts and rookie first-round decide Drake London, each greater than proving they’re able to carrying the workforce’s passing assault.

Ultimately, the Falcons wanted somebody to rise to the problem of turning into the following nice No. 1 receiver, and as a result of a wide range of elements, Ridley merely could not take a strangle maintain on the position.

Now all of the wiser, Ridley will get a second probability to do precisely that in Jacksonville, whereas the Falcons construct on the younger cross catchers introduced in by the brand new regime.

Because it grew to become abundantly clear that Ridley and Atlanta merely could not proceed, this particular commerce appeared like a matter of when, not if – however it would not alter the truth that Ridley’s promise-filled tenure got here to an uninspiring finish that each the workforce and participant could not have foreseen simply 15 months in the past.

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You’ll be able to comply with Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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Atlanta, GA

Assaults On Transgender People Leads To Arrest In Atlanta

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Assaults On Transgender People Leads To Arrest In Atlanta


ATLANTA, GA — Police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old man accused of assaulting multiple transgender people in Atlanta, authorities said.

Michael Boykin was taken into custody after police received a tip that he was in the area of 160 Ponce De Leon Ave. Northeast. According to police, Boykin was wanted because of his connection to a series of assaults targeting transgender people.

Authorities said they believe Boykin had a gun and was considered armed and dangerous at the time of his arrest.

Police arrested Boykin on outstanding warrants for aggravated assault, criminal trespassing, battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was also charged with possession of drug-related objects.

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No additional information was immediately available.



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A’s Reportedly Sign Former Atlanta Braves Third Baseman

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A’s Reportedly Sign Former Atlanta Braves Third Baseman


All offseason, the question looming over the Athletics has been who will man the hot corner for them in their first season in West Sacramento, and on Thursday night we received a bit of clarity. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the A’s are in agreement with former Atlanta Braves third baseman Gio Urshela, with Martín Gallegos of MLB.com saying that it’s a one-year deal. The agreement has not been announced by the A’s, as the deal is pending a physical.

Last season the A’s struggled to find consistency at third base, initially giving the job to J.D. Davis, whom they signed during Spring Training, but when he went down with an injury early in the season, Abraham Toro took over and provided a bit of a spark across 56 games at the position. In 28 games in May, Toro hit .315 with a .351 OBP. From that point on, he topped out at batting .200 in eight games in July, and was designated for assignment in late August.

The A’s also deployed Tyler Nevin, Brett Harris, Armando Alvarez, and Darell Hernaiz at third this past season, with the six players combining for a 79 wRC+ (100 is league average), with nobody possessing a league average bat in the bunch, and accumulating -0.9 fWAR. The Athletics ranked No. 28 in fWAR at the position.

GM David Forst has said that the A’s were looking to add a veteran to the mix headed into 2025, with an emphasis on defense. This will be Urshela’s tenth season in the big leagues, and at the very least he has consistently put up WAR totals greater than zero, which will be an improvement.

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The 33-year-old signed on with the Detroit Tigers last offseason, but they released him in late August. The Braves picked him up a couple of days later, and he finished out the season with Atlanta. Between both stops, he played 128 games, 110 of those coming at third base, with some time also spent across the diamond at first.

He hit .250 with a .286 OBP, nine homers, 52 RBI, and ended up with an 81 wRC+. With the glove, he racked up 0 Defensive Runs Saved and +3 Outs Above Average, using a couple of different metrics. His defense at the position has seemingly improved in recent years, and he has gone from well below league average to at, or above.

While adding a veteran upgrade was certainly on Forst’s bingo card, Urshela doesn’t figure to be a full-time addition to the roster. Instead, he’s likely to have the large side of the platoon, though who his partner will be is up for debate.

Last season against left-handers he went 17-for-96 (.177), while batting .271 in a much larger sample size against righties. While we missed on which player the A’s could end up signing, A’s on SI seemed to be on the right track with the thinking of the front office. Urshela’s 97 wRC+ against right-handers (vs. 29 against lefties) in 2024 should lead to him playing the majority of the time, but perhaps not every day.

Instead, the likely option against southpaws, at least in this point in the offseason, is Darell Hernaiz. Both players have upside with the glove, and Hernaiz went 12-for-43 (.279) against lefties, good for a 90 wRC+. While the A’s still don’t have a ton of pop at the position, they have the makings of a conglomerate league average option.

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This is also an interesting path for the team to take, since Urshela’s deal is only for the 2025 campaign. That would seem to suggest that the A’s believe in former top first round pick Max Muncy being able to make the transition from shortstop to third base in the early part of the season, and potentialy make his debut at some point in the second half of ’25.

Adding Urshela buys the A’s a little time to figure out who will ultimately take over at third base, and it also potentially buys Hernaiz another look in the big leagues, and a chace to earn the job himself.



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Atlanta Hawks Guard Listed as Good Trade Target for Sixers

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Atlanta Hawks Guard Listed as Good Trade Target for Sixers


Since they’re only one-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot, the Philadelphia 76ers should remain a buyer as trade season gets underway in the NBA. Armed with decent sized contracts and draft capital, Daryl Morey has the assets to bolster the supporting cast around the team’s star trio.

As the rumor mill starts to heat up, the staff at The Athletic compiled a big board of players who could be on the move before the February 6th deadline. Among those mentioned was Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. When listing best fits for the veteran, the Sixers were among the handful of teams cited.

Given that he’s a 38.4 percent career 3-point shooter, it’s exceptionally difficult to imagine he won’t get back to that level at some point as he gets his rhythm back. But he doesn’t totally fit the Hawks’ new age timeline, and a number of teams would love to get a player like Bogdanović, who has a proven big-game track record on the international stage.

With the Hawks going in a different direction, Bogdanovic could garner a lot interest around the league. For the Sixers, the 32-year-old provides multiple needed skills. Bogdanovic could serve as a sixth man/spot starter, along with providing secondary playmaking and shot creation on the offensive end. Most importantly, he is another above-average three-point shooter to put around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.

Bogdanovic’s dip in production shouldn’t be alarming, as the Hawks’ roster shakeup has likely played a part in that. In 12 games this season, he is averaging 11.8 PPG and 2.0 APG while shooting 34.6% from deep on moderate volume. With an increased shot quality playing alongside three All-Star’s, Bogdanoivc’s numbers would surely revert back to his career average if traded to the Sixers.

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The Sixers would have to combine multiple contracts to acquire Bogdanovic ($17.2 million salary), but he’d be a long-term investment at a rather team-friendly price. He is signed through this season and next with a club option for 2027.

With the Sixers’ high-end talent locked in, the focus is on building a strong supporting cast. As an experienced guard with a complementary skill set, Bogdanovic is someone who could help Philly achieve their goals this season and beyond.



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