Former WVU wide receiver emerges as favorite target for Atlanta Falcons

Former WVU football standout David Sills V is finally building himself a reputation in the NFL.

Just weeks after recording his first NFL touchdown reception in his seven-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, Sills V – who starred with the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2015 and again from 2017-2018 – is now beginning to find himself a primary target for the Falcons current starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins took over the role four games ago in relief of an injured Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a torn ACL in Week 11 and will miss the rest of the season.

Sills V, who had been targeted just nine times through the team's first 10 games this season and hauled in just four receptions for 34 yards during that stretch, has now seen 21 targets over the team's last four games since Cousins took over as the starter. During those four games, Sills V has 10 receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Sills V excelled in Atlanta's 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football this week, hauling in six receptions for 78 yards – which is a single-game career-best in both receptions and receiving yards for the former Mountaineer.

Another factor in Sills V having such increased production in recent weeks is that the Falcons lost star wide receiver Drake London to a PCL strain the same week they lost Penix Jr., and he has yet to return to action for the Falcons. This has allowed Sills V more of an opportunity in the offense, and he has taken that opportunity and ran with it.

Whether Sills V can continue to be such a focal point of the Falcons offense once London is back, or once Penix Jr. returns next season, remains to be seen. But WVU fans will hope to see Sills V either continue to feature significantly feature in the Falcons' offense moving forward, or use this opportunity to find a role somewhere else in the league in the future.