Atlanta wasn't searching for another No. 1 target this offseason. They were building a deeper, faster and more versatile receiver room around their offensive core.

Tori McElhaney

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. A phrase kept surfacing throughout the pre-draft evaluation process whenever Kevin Stefanski was asked what the Falcons wanted in the players they added to the roster. Nearly every time, the head coach gave the same answer, which is that the organization was searching for players with a "dominant trait."

It's the quality that immediately stands out on film. It's the first thing you notice when meeting a player. It may not completely define him, but it's what sets him apart.

Those dominant traits are especially evident in a position group that underwent arguably the Falcons' biggest offseason overhaul.

Wide receiver.

On Tanner Engstrand's first day as the Falcons' offensive pass game coordinator, the group looked much different than it did by the opening days of Phase III of the offseason program, which includes OTA practices. At the beginning of February, Engstrand looked at a wide receiver room headlined by Drake London, but with little proven production beyond him. Casey Washington and Chris Blair returned as role players, but in terms of carryover offensive production from 2025, London stood alone.

London commanded a massive portion of the Falcons' wide receiver targets in 2025 at least 40 more than any other receiver on the roster even though London missed a month of games late in the year. And one could argue that's what you want: The ball in London's hands.

The Falcons will continue to rely on the talents of Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson in the pass game, that's an element of the offense that isn't going anywhere. So, as coaches and decision-makers looked into 2026, they knew offseason additions weren't necessarily about finding another No. 1 target as much as it was about diversifying the offense around its well-established core. The Falcons entered into the offseason needing more speed, versatility and dependable depth at wide receiver.

Months later, after the additions of Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency and Zachariah Branch through the draft, the unit looks not only different, but complete.

"I think it is has started to become a well-rounded group," Engstrand said. " Each guy has a certain aspect to their game that they can put forth and utilize within the group, and then its on us as coaches to really utilize that skillset and put them into positions where they can have some success."

Though he never explicitly said it, the implication was clear: the group is well-rounded because every receiver brings a distinct dynamic trait.

Engstrand detailed those traits on his own, breaking down each player's strengths without prompting.

London, Engstrand said, is the centerpiece a mismatch who turns 50/50 balls into 70/30 opportunities. Dotson is a versatile weapon who "plays bigger" than his size suggests. Zaccheaus thrives working the middle of the field. And with Branch, the defining trait is obvious.

"When you're evaluating those guys coming from any level whether it is free agents or the draft, you're looking for traits and he obviously has one really, really elite trait," Engstrand said. "He can fly."

Each player brings something different, but every role matters. The first step of the process is complete: the group is assembled. Now, at this stage of the offseason, the focus shifts to refining the offensive install and figuring out how to maximize the unit collectively and individually.

"We are all getting used to each other and we are continuing to figure it out as we lay the foundation of the offensive system that we are installing," Engstrand explained. "Everybody is going to find their place and where everyone needs to be.

" I really see guys who come to work every day with the mindset of being better. That's really what they are coming here to do. Right now, it's how can we get better every single day. I think what we are seeing so far through Phase II and now into OTAs and Phase III is that every day they are coming in to improve, whether or not they have something to prove, they are coming to improve their game every single day. We have been nothing short of pleased with how they have performed so far."

The Falcons believe they've assembled a receiver room with complementary skill sets and explosive potential. The next step is proving those traits can translate from offseason practices into production

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