When the Falcons meet for the first time this offseason in early April, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson may be the most excited player in the room. Having recovered from a knee injury suffered in 2013 with the Washington Redskins, claiming most of last season as well, Hankerson has been 100-perecent for weeks, waiting to meet his new teammates and hit the field.
Moving to Atlanta, Hankerson reunites with his former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who is known for running an offense that benefits many, including wide receivers. Under Shanahan in 2012, Hankerson put up the best numbers of his four-year career, including 38 receptions for 543 yards and three touchdowns.
"It was a great opportunity to come to an offense that I'm very familiar with," Hankerson said. "Playing with a great quarterback in Matt Ryan and a couple of other receivers that I can join and have fun and enjoy doing whatever it takes to win games and compete."
The Falcons' 2016 roster is constantly evolving and we've amassed all the players in one gallery that will be updated throughout the year
CB Robert Alford
S Ricardo Allen
DT Jonathan Babineaux
OLB Vic Beasley Jr.
P Matt Bosher
K Matt Bryant
LB De'Vondre Campbell
RG Chris Chester
DE Adrian Clayborn
RB Tevin Coleman
CB Jalen Collins - Reserve Suspended List (4 Games)
T Tom Compton
FB Patrick DiMarco
RB Devonta Freeman
DE Dwight Freeney
WR Devin Fuller - IR
G Ben Garland
FS Dashon Goldson
CB C.J. Goodwin
DT Ra'Shede Hageman
WR Justin Hardy
LS Josh Harris
TE Austin Hooper
S Kemal Ishmael
DE Tyson Jackson
DT Grady Jarrett
LB Deion Jones
WR Julio Jones
CB Akeem King - IR
G Andy Levitre
C Alex Mack
T Jake Matthews
S Keanu Neal
TE Josh Perkins
G Mike Person
FS Brian Poole
LB Brooks Reed
LB LaRoy Reynolds
WR Aldrick Robinson
QB Matt Ryan
WR Mohamed Sanu
QB Matt Schaub
T Ryan Schraeder
G Wes Schweitzer
DE Derrick Shelby
TE Jacob Tamme
S Robenson Therezie
TE Levine Toilolo
CB Desmond Trufant
LB Courtney Upshaw
CB DeMarcus Van Dyke - IR
RB Terron Ward
LB Sean Weatherspoon
WR Eric Weems
LB Philip Wheeler
WR Nick Williams
LB Paul Worrilow
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said the upcoming season will be filled with creative ways to compete not only on the field but also in the meeting rooms. Joining a talented Falcons offense, Hankerson will embrace the competition, looking to help the team make a turnaround in 2015.
"I look forward to going in and playing with those guys, Roddy (White), Julio (Jones), Devin (Hester), all of the guys who are on the squad," Hankerson said.
"It's not all about me, it's about the team. That's what we're going to try to do, starting on the sixth, work out and have fun, setting everybody's mindset to one thing and that's winning games."
