The Atlanta Falcons have a rather large hole on the offensive line. Now with right tackle Kaleb McGary on IR, the situation just got worse. McGary sustained a serious leg injury in practice on August 20. Sadly, he’s going to be placed on the injured reserve for the rest of the season. His loss is a big question mark on the protection of quarterback Michael Penix’s blind side. The squad will soon have its attention turned toward the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a Week 1 matchup.
McGary’s fall was a shocker, but he’s not the only big surprise to go down. Backup Storm Norton will miss the start of the season after undergoing ankle surgery, which will sideline him six to eight weeks. On top of that, two of the Falcons’ biggest contributors are out. They’re now in scramble mode to find a serviceable replacement for the right tackle spot. Three candidates have emerged: Elijah Wilkinson, Brandon Parker, and Jack Nelson.
“You always have to have that on the table,” – Arthur Morris
On the heels of the Falcons improving their roster by way of an offense’s worst nightmare, they have added Michael Jerrell from the Seattle Seahawks. Jerrell has starting experience, too, having started three games as a rookie last season. Carter Warren and Ryan Hayes have been signed to add even more depth to the position. Warren does bring something of great value to the table stemming from his time with the New York Jets. He’s already made 19 starts at right tackle for the Denver Broncos in 2019 and 2020.
Ledford emphasized the importance of finding the best combination of players for the offensive line, noting, “It’s really just finding out, hey, what’s going to be the best five that gives us the best opportunity to go out and lets us be the best offense that we can be this year.”
Given how dire their offensive line situation is, the Falcons have even thought about moving left guard Matthew Bergeron to right tackle. Morris acknowledged that Bergeron remains a viable option if injuries compound during the season, stating, “Bergeron is one of those guys that if something were to happen in a game when you don’t have all the guys up and one or two injuries happen, that’s always got to be something that’s in consideration.”
It took a string of recent injuries to remind us how crucial continuity is with the offensive line. Ledford specifically called out that some of his backups were with the team during training camp. They’ve busted their butts to develop chemistry with the starters. “The good thing about it too, though, some of the backups that we’ve had here, Kyle Hinton, Elijah, they’ve been here, they’ve been in this system,” he said.
As the Falcons prepare for their season opener against the Buccaneers, finding a solution for McGary’s absence will be critical. It’s up to the coaching staff to take inventory of every possible option and find a way to keep Penix safe from an intimidating Tampa Bay defense.
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