Will Devin Hester Factor into Shanahan's Offense?

Last year’s free agent acquisition of Devin Hester by the Atlanta Falcons was one of the smartest moves the front office made in 2014. Hester’s reputation as an elite return specialist while with the Chicago Bears instantly improved the Falcons’ special teams play. On Thursday Night Football in Week 3, Hester broke his idol Deion Sanders’ return touchdown record with Prime Time at the Georgia Dome. It was a special day in a special season for Hester as he went to his fourth Pro Bowl in his illustrious career predominantly as a return specialist.

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But part of the reason Hester left Chicago for Atlanta was the hopes of playing on offensive again. Former Bears HC Marc Trestman had no use for Hester in his offense as he never made it on the field for the 2013 Bears in anything other than kick/punt return situations. Hester never really manifested into a great receiver in the NFL after tearing it up at The U in college. But why would an offensive coach not want to try to integrate Hester’s breakaway playmaking ability into at least a few designed plays?

Dirk Koetter used Hester in his premier passing game as the Falcons fourth receiver in 2014. Hester accounted for 38 receptions, 504 receiving yards, and 3 offensive touchdowns last fall. By just having him out on the field, it opened up more targets for Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Harry Douglas. Even as a 32-year old career return man, Hester had made a role for himself in Koetter’s pass heavy offense.

With the new coaching regime, Koetter left Atlanta for Tampa Bay and in came Kyle Shanahan from Cleveland to run the offense. Shanahan is known for his ability to run the football effectively anywhere he coaches because of his highly discussed zone blocking scheme. Sure, Hester could run a few jet sweeps out of the Atlanta backfield for Shanahan, but is Shanahan going to run enough passing plays to keep Hester in the WR rotation?

Sep 18, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Devin Hester (17) returns a punt for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Buccaneers 56-14. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, the running game will be a major focus for the 2015 Atlanta Falcons as it usually is for a defensive-minded head coach like Dan Quinn. Former DCs like to chew up clock with an effective running game so that it gives his defense time to recover. But Kyle Shanahan has never had a quarterback like Matt Ryan or a receiving corps with Pro Bowlers like Julio Jones and Roddy White. Arguably the best passer Shanahan has coached has been Matt Schaub when they were together for one year in Houston. Kyle may like to stretch the field vertically in Atlanta now that he has weapons certainly capable of that.

Even with the free agent signing of Leonard Hankerson and the fourth round selection of Justin Hardy out of East Carolina, I doubt Shanahan completely neglects Hester’s speed and decent production as a fourth receiver last year when constructing his passing game. While Hester will not have more than 25 catches for the Falcons this year, it would be foolish to completely remove him from the passing game given his chemistry with Jones and White. Though he doesn’t have the best hands as a receiver, far from it, his knack for explosive plays command constant attention from the opposition’s secondary. That gives Jones and White a little more space to work with when running routes to catch passes from Ryan.

I think we will still see Hester playing offense in some capacity for the Falcons this fall given his intangibles and last year’s relative success as a receiver. But should Devin Hester start dropping catches, he might find himself back to just being a return specialist. Shanahan won’t throw the ball as often as Koetter did, so Hester will have to make the most of his limited targets in 2015.

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Will Devin Hester Factor into Shanahan’s Offense?

By John Buhler | Jun 2, 2015