When Devin Hestersigned a three-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons in March, the assumption was that he would be limited to kick returns -- just as he was in 2013 with the Chicago Bears.
A week into training camp, Falcons wide receivers are painting a different picture.
"The thing that people don't understand," Julio Jones told TheMMQB.com's Peter King, "is that for us, he's not just going to be a returner. We've seen it out here. He can help us as a receiver, and he is helping us."
Whereas the Lovie Smith-era Bears were obsessed with turning Hester into an every-down receiver, it sounds like the Falcons envision the return star as more of a decoy.
"What Devin is going to do for us is exercise the field," Roddy White explained. "Make the defense cover every corner of the field."
That sounds good in theory. Whether the Falcons can make it happen on game day is another matter.
Jones, White and Harry Douglas are locked in as the top three receivers. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has rarely made use of four-wide sets in Atlanta.
In other words, skepticism is advised.
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