Atlanta Falcons OL receives good grades from PFF

The Atlanta Falcons have invested heavily in building a homegrown offensive line. Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary were all first-round picks and earned second contracts with the club.

Matthew Bergeron was selected in the second round, 38th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft. The only exception might be Drew Dalman, who was selected in the fourth round as the pick the Denver Broncos sent to Atlanta to trade in the second round of the 2021 draft. The Broncos took running back Javante Williams and the Falcons took Richie Grant.

It could be argued that Dalman was the most productive player involved in this trade.

That significant investment has paid off in recent years, as the Falcons have built one of the best offensive lines in the game. Pro Football Focus (PFF) believes the unit ranks No. 6 in the NFL heading into the 2024 season.

“Drew Dalman’s 2023 season helped this unit significantly, especially in run blocking, as Dalman finished with the third-highest run blocking grade among centers,” PFF’s Zoltán Buday wrote. “Chris Lindstrom was also once again the NFL’s highest-graded guard.”

“All five of the Falcons’ starting offensive linemen return for the 2024 season, and the unit can improve further if second-year guard Matthew Bergeron takes a step forward.”

Bergeron was the Falcons’ lowest-graded offensive lineman in 2023 by PFF with a grade of 59.1. Still, Atlanta was pleased with how Bergeron played as a rookie despite his low grade, and they expect a big jump from year one to year two.

One could argue that the Falcons should be even higher than No. 6, but they are in good company with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles in the top two spots. The Indianapolis Colts come in at No. 3, followed by the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.

In the NFC South division, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit at 17th place. The Carolina Panthers are a few spots behind at 20th, and the New Orleans Saints are considered the worst unit in the NFL at 32nd.

The Falcons built a reputation for high-level players under former head coach Arthur Smith. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson plans to capitalize on the offensive line’s best assets, while using Kirk Cousins ​​to unlock the Falcons’ talented young players.