Falcons head coach says McGary will miss time, could be headed to IR.

Raheem Morris on Elijah Wilkinson: “Elijah has played a lot of football in the National Football League. He’s played a lot for us. He’s been here with us throughout the course of the last year, throughout the course of this year, and we are fired up to get those guys out there…

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) August 23, 2025

The Atlanta Falcons will be without starting right tackle Kaleb McGary for a “significant” amount of time, head coach Raheem Morris told reporters following Friday’s 31-13 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Morris said the injured reserve list was likely for McGary, who suffered a leg injury during practice last week.

“The thing I will say to you now is that [McGary] will miss significant time,” Morris said after Friday’s exhibition. “Looks like it will be IR, whatever the case may be, we will have to see there, but he will miss significant time for us.”

McGary is a key part of Atlanta’s offensive line, and since it appears he will miss at least a portion of the season, the team will have to figure out a backup plan. The problem is that backup offensive tackle Storm Norton is also set to miss time after an ankle surgery.

Morris said the team will have to look at other in-house options to replace McGary, although it sounds like veteran Elijah Wilkinson is the head coach’s preferred choice.

“Elijah has played a lot of football in the National Football League,” said Morris. “He’s played a lot for us. He’s been here with us throughout the course of the last year, throughout the course of this year, and we are fired up to get those guys out there and watch those guys play and compete to see who’s going to be able to go out there vs. Tampa.”

We highlighted three potential free agent targets for Atlanta with McGary set to miss time, including Isaiah Wynn and Jedrick Wills. There aren’t a ton of good options on the free agent market, though, and therefore Morris probably isn’t bluffing about finding someone already on the roster.

Make sure to read our takeaways from Friday night’s preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys and to check back for roster updates ahead of the 53-man roster deadline.