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ATLANTA -- A healthy Trae Young gives the Atlanta Hawks their best hope for overcoming season-long injury woes and advancing past the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

Young hopes he can provide his normal production after playing three games at the end of the regular season. His minutes were restricted after missing 23 games with a torn ligament in his left pinkie, but he said he hopes to have his normal minutes in Wednesday night's game at Chicago.

Young's return wasn't enough to prevent the Hawks from entering the play-in tournament with a six-game losing streak. He averaged 25.7 points in the regular season, but was limited to 14, 19 and 12 points in his three-game warmup for the play-in tournament.

"I feel a lot better," Young said after Monday's practice, adding he gained confidence from seeing his playing time rise to 32 minutes in an ugly 157-115 loss at Indiana to close the regular season. Young had 12 points and 11 assists in the loss.

"I'm just trying to make sure I can play at least close to my minutes that I played in the regular season in play-in games," Young said.

After already losing forward Saddiq Bey to a season-ending knee injury, the Hawks will be without two other key players in their frontcourt, forward Jalen Johnson and center Onyeka Okongwu, for the play-in tournament.

"That's just something, as I've said, really, it's no different than throughout the course of the year," coach Quin Snyder said. "The guys that you do have, they have to be ready to go and have to play at a high level, and you can't lament those things. So we'll be ready."

Johnson, one of the team's most productive starters with his averages of 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, will miss at least three weeks with a right ankle sprain. Okongwu will miss at least four weeks following a non-surgical procedure last week to address inflammation in his left big toe. Okongwu averages 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds.

"Obviously you just play the cards you're dealt," Young said. "That's just my mentality. You know I feel like we can still win with the players we have, so I'm going to go out there and try to do it."

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Atlanta Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot, a man who excels at saying plenty of interesting things while revealing nothing of substance, has indicated the team is “wide open,” when it comes to their first round pick,

Here’s the money quote from Fontenot, courtesy of Sport Illustrated’s Daniel Flick:

“It’s a strong draft,” Fontenot said. “We’re going to be staring at some really good players at eight, or whether we’re up a little bit or whether we’re back a little bit, and that’s the excitement. We’re wide open. And I love that about Raheem and the staff - we’re completely wide open.”

It’s easy to take Fontenot at his word here. This is an interesting draft class, one where the top-level talent bleeds into the bottom half of the top ten picks and the depth is outstanding at position groups like wide receiver and even arguably edge rusher. With additional draft ammunition acquired from the Jaguars thanks to the Calvin Ridley trade, the Falcons are well-positioned to move off of No. 8 if they want to. Atlanta’s varied needs, especially on the defensive side of the ball, demand this team have an open mind about the best way to take care of them, especially if they’re not willing to budge off the idea that they’re truly going to pick the best player available at 8. Remember, that may well not be a defender, if the Falcons are sticking to BPA in its purest form.

Of course, there’s cynicism from my end that exists because we hear a combination of “best player available” and “open for business” every year. Like Fontenot in 2023:

"We want to make sure we're taking impact players." Terry Fontenot added, too: "We're open to trading up. We're open to trading back."

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) April 25, 2023

Or Fontenot in 2022:

Terry Fontenot, Arthur Smith sticking with the practice of taking the best player available in the draft. Fontenot said when you reach, that's "how you make mistakes."

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) January 11, 2022

Or Fontenot in 2021:

“There are still variables involved, so we know the players that we will be discussing there, and we can all anticipate the first three picks, but it has to actually happen,” Fontenot said Wednesday. “And then from that point we have to weigh the options of, do we trade back compared to the player we could get at 4, or if we trade back, what would be the value. So we have to weigh all those different variables and all those scenarios so we know the players that we’re talking about.

Or “Trader” Thomas Dimitroff basically every single year he was general manager:

“There are a number of positions that we’re looking at more than other years,” Dimitroff said. “I feel like in other years, we’ve been really homed in on potentially one or two, and we have a number of positions that we think can really benefit us at 26. ... In our minds, it gives us an opportunity to consider — of course, we’ll always consider moving up — but also the idea of moving back as well because we feel there are a number of good players at 26 and beyond.”

I lay this out not to make fun of GM-speak in football—okay, maybe I’m making fun of it a little bit—but rather to illustrate that this is an annual talking point for Fontenot and the Falcons. The reality is that the Falcons are unlikely to move up with their quarterback in place and one terrific cornerback, edge rusher, or even wide receiver definitely falling to them at No. 8, and Fontenot has yet to really entertain a trade back from a top ten pick during his time as general manager. The most likely scenario is that the Falcons stay put at No. 8 and pick the best player available on their board, and even that will be tinged a little bit by need in the end, if I had to guess. The need on defense is simply much more dire than on offense right now, making a pick on that side of the ball more likely in my estimation, and there’s bound to be an impact defender the Falcons really like available at 8.

Could they move down? Yes, and the likeliest scenario there would be the Minnesota Vikings striking out on getting higher and still having a quarterback they want available, say J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix. The Raiders, who are widely rumored to be desperate for a young quarterback, might also be an option. The Falcons won’t go way down in the draft order, but a modest bump for a really compelling deal is the only scenario I can see unfolding on day one of the draft.

Where the “wide open” language rings figures to ring true is actually after that initial pick. The Falcons have a pair of third round picks and Fontenot has not been shy about making moves on the second and third day of the draft, notably moving up from No. 44 a year ago by swapping that pick and No. 110 for No. 38, which turned into guard Matthew Bergeron. The team’s stated desire to add young players to their secondary, the outsized need for pass rushers, the open admission that they’d like to add a third quarterback, and the simple need for plus talent across the board means Fontenot can and likely will jump around chasing players the Falcons believe to be great fits for the new coaching staff and this roster. I’d frankly be surprised if they made both third round selections.

The Falcons aren’t just blowing smoke here, in other words, and I expect Fontenot to make at least one if not multiple trades during this draft and field calls for the No. 8 pick. If you’re expecting Atlanta to move off their top ten selection, however, Fontenot’s track record to this point expects you shouldn’t be.

More From The Falcoholic

For the seventh consecutive century, the Atlanta Falcons are in need of real pass rushing help. We’re pinning our hopes on a potent cocktail consisting of one part early round draft pick, one part improvement from young players, and a dash of coaching. Still, it’s clear the Falcons need more on the roster than they have, even beyond a draft pick.

With that in mind, here’s a sampling of players still out there on the EDGE market. We talked about a few players in our defensive line article last week that can be carried over here, but these are choices we haven’t discussed who could join the team’s thin rotation.

While Dupree is still just chilling out there waiting to be signed, a reunion with the Falcons feels less likely than it did pre-James Smith-Williams.

That’s because of the numbers game more than anything else. With the Falcons widely expected to snag a starting-caliber edge rusher in the upcoming draft, Dupree would have been an addition if the Falcons wanted a reliable player to take on a significant number of snaps in rotation with the new guy and/or Ebiketie. Instead, they signed Smith-Williams to join Lorenzo Carter and DeAngelo Malone on the roster, and unless the team sours on Ebiketie badly it’s hard to imagine they’ll sign a veteran player who won’t be dirt cheap and would expect significant playing time. Remember, Dupree played at least 59% of the snaps in every single game a year ago.

Still, while Ryan Nielsen is gone and a large chunk of the defensive coaching staff with him, the Falcons still need edge rushers pretty badly, and Dupree is a familiar face for the coaches who do remain. He also tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5, provided rock solid run defense throughout the season, and was durable and reliable. If the Falcons can’t land their pass rusher of choice early, I’d still welcome a reunion with Dupree for another year.

A player I liked a lot heading into last year, Bowser has played just nine games over the past two seasons thanks to injury, including exactly zero a year ago. That’s a disappointing outcome for a player who had seven sacks in 17 games back in 2022 for Baltimore, and the soon-to-be 29-year-old has yet to find a new home.

If Atlanta’s looking for an interesting bounceback candidate and think Bowser is healthy enough to contribute, he’d be a fun addition. As Steve Palazzolo at Pro Football Focus noted late last week on Twitter, Raheem Morris’s defense will ask its EDGEs to drop into coverage more than the average team, and Bowser did plenty of that (and did so with reasonable success) in Baltimore. He’s also a capable if not outrageously productive pass rusher and a consistently useful run defender, as well, making him another useful addition to the group.

New Falcons coach Raheem Morris' Rams defense had 355 snaps where at least one edge defender dropped into coverage last year, most in the league.Most coverage snaps among top EDGEs:Dallas Turner 238Laiatu Latu 55Jared Verse 27Chop Robinson 15

— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) April 12, 2024

If Bowser’s market stays cool and the Falcons want reliability and a little upside at EDGE post-draft, they could do a lot worse.

He had one of his more successful seasons in Atlanta with Raheem Morris back in 2020, before his breakout year in Detroit in 2021, which saw him put up 7.5 sacks. Harris has navigated injuries and a lack of production in the two seasons since then, but the familiarity with Morris and the glimpses of real upside might be enough to intrigue Atlanta anew.

The track record here suggests that a healthy Bowser would be a better option for the Falcons, but if injury is a concern in a pretty thin market, Harris could round out this group effectively.

If you’re simply looking to add some pass rushing punch to this group, you might be tempted to take a closer look at Ngakoue. His production and efficacy have been slipping steadily over the past couple of seasons, so you’d be betting on a bit of a bounceback here in the same way that you would with Bowser or Harris.

The bet is a little different, though. Where Bowser is a well-rounded EDGE and Harris is at least a capable enough run defender, Ngakoue is one-dimensional and would be best deployed on third downs and obvious passing downs to pin his ears back and get after the quarterback. His price point would be a sticking point, but given that the Falcons do have players who already do multiple things well but lack any sort of game-changing pass rushing upside, Ngakoue would be an interesting addition if he was cheap.

Like Ngakoue, Lawson’s production has been slipping a bit over the past couple of years. Historically, though, he’s offered you a capable, physical player who can hold his own in coverage, chip in as a pass rusher, and contribute against the run. You’d be betting on his ability to do so in Atlanta, but in such a thin market, it’s not a bad bet if the price is right.

You’ll notice a lot of talk of gambles, upsides, and price points in this article, and that’s for good reason. This is not the market you want to be searching for a top-flight option in, and the Falcons really have to rely on the draft to bring that caliber of player in. Still, if the goal is just to round out their edge rusher group with a capable player with a track record, one of these players would provide that. Expect the Falcons to look hard at snagging one after the draft.

The bad news was expected this past weekend, but Spencer Strider's elbow injury will sting the Atlanta Braves for the rest of the year.

Strider's season — one built on promise and prestige with the young right-hander dubbed by many the best starting pitcher in baseball and the National League Cy Young favorite — is over. Technically, Strider's 2024 campaign ended the moment the Braves discovered that his ulnar collateral ligament was damaged, which came soon after he flagged the discomfort in his pitching elbow in early April.

After long days of silence from Atlanta, the club finally announced the expected — and the worst — Saturday: Strider had already undergone elbow surgery and will miss the remainder of the year.

The injury does have a silver lining, however. That Strider was able to undergo the less-invasive internal brace procedure, rather than Tommy John surgery, indicates his UCL did not fully tear. Strider already had Tommy John surgery in 2019 while pitching for Clemson. Pitchers with less severe elbow damage, including partial UCL tears, are better candidates for the internal brace procedure, which has a shorter recovery time than Tommy John.

In layperson terms, if Strider was forced to undergo a second Tommy John surgery, there was a greater chance of him missing the majority of 2025. Conversely, the Braves are optimistic Strider will return to the mound closer to the start of next season.

Now, all eyes are on Atlanta to see how the club navigates losing the best strikeout pitcher in the game. There is no copy-and-paste replacement for Strider, not in MLB and certainly not on any level within the Braves' organization. But it does help that the team, still flashing the best record in the NL East, has pitching options in the minor leagues and the offense, unsurprisingly, is the best in baseball.

While reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. continues searching for his first home run of the season, the rest of the Braves offense has compiled the highest wRC+ (125) in MLB through the first two-plus weeks of the season. No lineup can be counted on more to lift its starting pitcher out of a shoddy start. And every fifth day, at least until the trade deadline, there will be more pressure on this offense to put up crooked numbers and support whoever is filling in for Strider.

After winning the NL East six years in a row, the Braves are mostly taking care of business without fully clicking to start 2024. There's still every reason to believe they will qualify for the postseason without their ace. It's not inconceivable that when Strider returns to the mound in 2025, he's pitching for the reigning world champions. That's how strong the roster construction is in Atlanta. For now, the Braves' record has allowed general manager Alex Anthopoulos more time to consider internal options for the starting rotation.

The veteran-laden group has stuff to figure out, as well.

Max Fried, the 2022 NL Cy Young runner-up who will enter free agency this offseason, is most concerning after surrendering 11 earned runs in 11.1 innings (8.74 ERA) over his first three starts. The southpaw's lengthy track record suggests he'll turn things around. Chris Sale, meanwhile, is registering whiffs and, most importantly, is still intact and healthy. Charlie Morton merits further monitoring after two bad starts following a good one against the hapless White Sox. Reynaldo López (0.75 ERA) has been Atlanta's best starter.

Who's headlining Strider's possible replacements? The guys López defeated in a spring competition for the fifth starter spot.

There's right-hander Bryce Elder, who earned an All-Star nod last year after beginning the season in Triple-A. Elder recorded a 2.97 ERA in his first 18 starts of 2023 before fading in the second half. There's also top organizational prospect AJ Smith-Shawver, who competed with López and Elder in spring. The 21-year-old righty has coughed up six earned runs in just three innings (two starts) at Triple-A Gwinnett, so it's likely the Braves let him continue throwing in the minors before they give him an injury-induced promotion.

In general, the Braves at this early juncture of the season have the benefit of waiting until July's trade deadline to fully commit to Strider's substitute. As long as Atlanta is still leading the NL East, which is no sure thing with the Phillies looking to snatch the division crown, the rotation can dabble with its depth, implant a revolving door with the No. 5 starter, and hope for the best.

That strategy will likely strain the Braves' bullpen, a relief unit that's ranked 14th in ERA (4.06). But if even one of those depth options works out, Anthopoulos can completely avoid picking up a pitcher in the summer. If not, the Braves can tap into their farm system to beef up the rotation at the deadline.

A lot could change over these next few months, but it's still good to be the Atlanta Braves. Despite a 5.50 rotation ERA that ranks 27th in MLB, despite Acuña sporting a .712 OPS through 14 games, Atlanta leads its division and has the third-best winning percentage in the NL. While the Strider injury is a loss for baseball, it's not grounds to count the Braves out of the title chase. It's not even a cause for concern about their immediate future.

They earned the benefit of the doubt long ago. And their roster provides more reason(s) to believe they might still be inevitable.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

In 2023, the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts kicked off the NFL draft by selecting quarterbacks with the first three picks. As we get closer to the 2024 draft, it’s looking like we could see as many as four quarterbacks taken in the top five.

The Atlanta Falcons addressed the QB position in free agency by signing Kirk Cousins, however, the 35-year-old is coming off a serious Achilles injury and it’s always smart to have a backup plan. The team still has a competent backup in Taylor Heinicke, but don’t be surprised if Atlanta drafts a developmental third QB in the middle rounds.

Here’s a look at five mid-round quarterback prospects the Falcons could target in the 2024 NFL draft.

Rattler was once the projected No. 1 overall pick back in 2022 before Caleb Williams stole his job at Oklahoma. In a cruel twist of fate, Williams is now the projected No. 1 overall pick while Rattler is a likely Day 2 prospect in the same class. However, Rattler was able to get his college career back on track after transferring to South Carolina. He passed for 3,186 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions for the Gamecocks last season. Rattler isn’t exactly a dual threat but he has impressive pocket awareness that should help him at the NFL level.

Travis had an incredible season before going down with an ankle injury late in the year. The Florida State QB passed for 2,755 yards, 20 touchdowns and two interceptions while leading his team to an undefeated record. Over the last two seasons combined, Travis passed for 44 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions, while rushing for another 14 touchdowns. He lacks a truly elite arm, but Travis is deadly efficient and finished the 2023 season with a deep passing grade of 91.8 from Pro Football Focus. He’s someone to watch in rounds 4-6.

Reed’s competition wasn’t great but his production over the last two seasons was elite. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers QB passed for 8,084 yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions combined from 2022-2023. Reed is far from polished but he clearly has some ability. With a couple of years sitting behind someone like Kirk Cousins, he could potentially develop into a starting-caliber QB. Reed is ranked the 155th overall prospect on the Pro Football Focus big board.

Milton finally got his chance in 2023 and didn’t disappoint. The Tennessee QB passed for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He while andded another 299 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. In terms of arm strength, Milton is in a class of his own. The Michigan transfer put on a show at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. At 6-5, 235 pounds, Milton is built for the NFL. If a team allows him to develop, there’s no limit to his upside. Atlanta has a few years to kill with Cousins under contract for at least two seasons.

Pratt probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves for how solid he is. While he lacks great arm strength, he has a natural feel for the QB position. It’s hard to judge someone who played at Tulane, but he passed for at least 20 touchdowns in four straight seasons while never once throwing more than eight interceptions. Pratt rushed for 1,145 yards and 28 total touchdowns on the ground over his four seasons. Could he be the Brock Purdy of the 2024 draft?