From @RiseUpReader on X/Twitter
Will the RT situation derail our season? Losing Kaleb McGary and Storm Norton is devastating.
If a right tackle situation derails your entire season then you did not have a strong enough roster to begin with. So, the question feels a tad dramatic for me if I am being completely honest.
Now, is losing McGary and Norton concerning? Yes. It is. But you still have four of five starters returning from last year’s line to this year’s group — because yes, I do consider Ryan Neuzil a starter seeing as he played nearly equal games as Drew Dalman did in 2024. That’s still more than a lot of offensive lines across the league when comparing their plight.
I will add that as long as you have Chris Lindstrom on the right side, he has the talent to make up for a lot of other players’ deficiencies. I know people are concerned about Michael Penix Jr.’s blindside. But they were concerned about that when it was McGary slated to be the blindside protector, and honestly, even he said he wasn’t concerned about it considering the nature of offenses nowadays. Modern offenses dictate that at some point? A quarterback is going to have his back to one side or another, and it’s not always his natural blindside.
I also think it is some times easier to cover up a deficiencies at tackle because you can put a tight end beside him, or you have a running back chipping the edge rusher. Heck, maybe the Falcons will deploy a few more 12 personnel looks to add more oomph on the offensive line.
Regardless, this tackle situation is not the end of the world, but it definitely isn’t great. I will give you that.