2023 Falcons roster review: Injuries mar a strong year

Injuries take a bite out of Atlanta’s starters, but it was still a solid year for the line after a slow start to the season.

It’s difficult to conjure up the optimism from last summer again here in the cold early months of 2024, but you may recall that some of us were enamored with the offensive upside of the Atlanta Falcons.

Part of the reason for that was the offensive line. Returning four of five starters from a terrific 2022 and with the addition of a promising rookie in Matthew Bergeron, the line figured to be a major asset, fueling a strong ground game and helping to keep Desmond Ridder safe. The line did have a strong year overall, but early struggles,

Tragically, while the line rallied to deliver a strong season despite injuries, the offense didn’t follow suit. We’ll hope that changes in 2024, but in the meantime, let’s take a peek at the year that was and the team’s long-term outlook on the line.

Key players

LT Jake Matthews

PFF’s 30th tackle by offensive grade in 2023 (71.2)

Played 1,061 snaps (third-most on team)

27 pressures allowed

5 sacks allowed

PFF 60.2 run-block grade but an 80.1 pass-block grade

Matthews is still an above average pass protector on the left side of the line, which may become even more important for the next quarterback the team adds. He has never been elite in terms of his run blocking, however, and that part of his game is certainly not improving as he ages. For at least 2024 he’s going to remain the team’s starting left tackle, but Atlanta will have to figure out how to mitigate their left side weakness—improvement from Matthew Bergeron will help—when trying to rush that way. They’ll take that tradeoff for Matthews’ experience and ability to help keep his quarterback clean.

LG Matthew Bergeron

PFF’s 40th guard by offensive grade in 2023 (59.5)

Played 1,127 snaps (most on the team)

33 pressures allowed

6 sacks allowed

It was an up-and-down rookie season for Bergeron, who made the switch from college tackle to pro left guard and was thrown directly into the fire in his first season as a full-time starter. The flashes we saw of his strength and ability were quite promising, and he had plenty of solid efforts mixed in with some rough ones, leading me to believe year two will be a strong one for Bergeron.

C Drew Dalman

PFF’s 3rd center by offensive grade in 2023 (82.3)

Played 932 snaps

29 pressures allowed

2 sacks allowed

His run-block grade was elite (90.0), but his pass-block grade was poor (53.0)

Inconsistent snaps and struggles in pass protection marred Dalman’s year, which was otherwise a huge improvement over 2023. He was one of the league’s better run-blocking centers, an important piece for Arthur Smith’s offense, and if he can make strides in his pass protection he’ll likely keep the job with Dwayne Ledford still coaching up the offensive line. Young and affordable at the moment, Dalman is a recent draft success story for Atlanta.

RG Chris Lindstrom

PFF’s top-rated guard for the second straight year

87.6 grade (95.0 in 2022)

Played 1,066 snaps (second-most on team)

Pressures allowed: 15 (12th)

Sacks allowed: 3 (38th)

Pro Bowler

Injury and a handful of shakier efforts from Lindstrom ensured he didn’t have quite the phenomenal season he enjoyed in 2023, but he was still one of the better guards in the league. Lindstrom’s excellence, relative youth, and long-term deal ensure he’ll be the bedrock piece of this offensive line for years to come, and outside of the occasional frustrating day at the office, he should continue to be one of the league’s best at his position.

RT Kaleb McGary

PFF’s 20th tackle by offensive grade in 2023 (75.5)

Played 847 snaps

17 pressures allowed

4 sacks allowed

Only three penalties last season

Another slow start to the season and injuries conspired to make us all throw our hands up and declare regression for McGary, but in truth, he had another good season. His pass protection was solid enough, his run blocking continued to be excellent, and the most major concern for him in the immediate future remains availability. If he can be minimally dinged up in 2024, McGary should once again do good work as the team’s right tackle, which is reassuring after we wondered if he’d string together a pair of quality seasons or not.

T Storm Norton

PFF’s 44th tackle by offensive grade (not filtered by qualified snaps) (68.3)

Played 283 snaps

6 pressures allowed

1 sack allowed

Pressed into action because of McGary’s injuries, Norton did far better than you would have expected him to, with a really good start to cap things off against Indianapolis. The Falcons will likely want to invest in a young, high-upside swing tackle this offseason with an eye on potentially having a future starter to take over for either Matthews or McGary, but Norton would be an affordable and solid re-signing.

C Ryan Neuzil

PFF grade of 55.3

Played 203 snaps

3 pressures allowed

No sacks allowed

There were struggles for Neuzil, who had to fill in at center to multiple games, but his combination of versatility (he can also play guard) and Dwayne Ledford’s appreciation for him will likely conspire to have him on the roster in 2024. His pass protection was a little bit better than his run blocking, but Neuzil will have to show growth this season to be the uncontested backup center with 2023 rookie Jovaughn Gwyn likely to be ready to compete.

2023 performance: Solid, if up-and-down

Between injuries, a frustratingly slow start to the season, and some ongoing struggles from the likes of Matthew Bergeron and reserves pressed into action, the line didn’t quite live up to its considerable potential in 2023. I think it dawned on most Falcons fans by halfway through the season or so that not all (or even most) of the team’s sputtering offense could be laid at the feet of the line, however.

We’ll start with the injuries, because you can’t tell the story of the season without them. Ironman Jake Matthews missed close to 80% of Week 14 against the Buccaneers and had to exit a pair of other games down the stretch, Drew Dalman missed three weeks and part of Week 17, Chris Lindstrom missed Week 15 and small chunks of three other games, and Kaleb McGary missed three games and played under 50% of the offensive snaps in two others. The team fortunately did not suffer any catastrophic injuries, but those ailments tended to pile up all at the same time, forcing them to dig into their reserves in a handful of crucial late season games.

The line also got off to a bit of a slow start on the year, with some of Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary’s shakiest performances coming at the beginning of the year. There were also expected ups and downs for the rookie Matthew Bergeron along the way and a late implosion in Week 18 against the Saints, where almost no one on offense played well.

For all that, though, the line was once again one of the team’s strengths. Lindstrom, Dalman, and McGary were among the best run-blocking offensive linemen in the league at their respective positions, while Matthews provided customarily strong pass protection and the line overall held up better in that regard than you’d expect given the state of the passing game. It wasn’t quite the dominant year we had imagined for a variety of reasons, but if you’re looking to pin the offense’s failures on anyone, the line would be very near the bottom of the list.

Outlook: Strong but with long-term question marks at tackle

When you have one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen (who is under 30!) at one guard spot, a young and affordable option with terrific potential at another, and a young center with elite run blocking abilities, you have the makings of a pretty good long-term core. For 2024, at least, having the beyond steady Jake Matthews at left tackle and a solid right tackle option in Kaleb McGary under contract means you have five capable starters ready to roll. That’s no small feat, especially in today’s NFL, where teams bemoaning the quality of offensive linemen is an annual and noisy thing.

So if the Falcons can get quarterback right, stock up on receivers, and add some useful depth here, the line should enable this offense to hum the way it should have in 2023. That’s the good news, and if you want to stop right there because you like good news and you’re excited about 2024, knock yourself out. That’s the thing we ought to be most concerned about.

Into 2024 and certainly beyond, though, it’s difficult not to worry a bit about how this team will handle tackle in particular. There’s no guarantee Drew Dalman is the team’s starting center over the long haul, but he’s at least a credible option and is young enough to hold down the fort for a long time if the team wants him to. Not so for Matthews, who turned 32 earlier this week and isn’t a lock to be on this squad beyond 2024, given the out in his contract. That goes double for McGary, who will be 29 next week and has been dinged up pretty consistently throughout his NFL career, and is probably not going to be on this team when his contract runs up, if not sooner. Replacing one tackle with a capable option is fairly tricky; replacing two at potentially the same time could prove to be extremely difficult.

Again, that’s likely a problem for 2025, but the Falcons would be wise to stock up on young depth options and consider drafting a young tackle they like as a long-term starter as soon as this year to give them time and options. In the short-term this line ought to be one of Atlanta’s strengths on offense, but over the long haul they’ll have to ensure their succession plans at tackle are up to snuff.