There were many good reasons to think Jaeden Graham would return to the Falcons in 2021. Atlanta will certainly feature multiple tight ends in the passing game more prominently than Dirk Koetter did, for starters, and there was literally no one behind Hayden Hurst on the depth chart heading into this offseason. Graham is also an affordable exclusive rights free agent, and the new assistant offensive line coach was his college tight ends coach.
The pieces fit, and thankfully Graham is back.
In all likelihood, the Falcons will sign or draft another player who will slot in ahead of Graham on the depth chart, but there should still be a role for him.