Jake Matthews, Kaleb McGary, and Storm Norton are back for another go-around.
For a roster undergoing sea changes in recent years, tackle is a rare rock of stability in a stormy sort of ocean. The Atlanta Falcons have had the same starting tackle duo, with some hiccups and injuries along the way, since the 2019 season. That isn’t going to change in 2025.
Jake Matthews is still starting, as he has been more or less continuously since his rookie season in 2014. Kaleb McGary is also still starting, as he has been more or less continuously since 2019. And Storm Norton, who was picked up in 2023, is a virtual lock to serve as the swing tackle for the third straight year. Every single one of these guys is 30 years old or older, but the Falcons like the stability for the moment.
But even with familiar faces, there’s a new challenge for this group, which we’ll cover here in our roster review.
Starters
Jake Matthews, Kaleb McGary
Matthews is a franchise legend and an ironman, even if he’s likely to be appreciated by some quarters of the fanbase more when he’s gone than he is now. His 179 games, all of them starts, put him among the Falcons’ all-time leaders in games played, and his consistently strong pass protection has made him a fixture at left tackle. For the first time he’ll be off his quarterback’s blind side given that Michael Penix is a lefty, but that pass protection and his quietly improving run blocking will be as useful as ever in 2025.
McGary’s own up-and-down pass protection fortunes are now more of a concern given that he is protecting Penix’s blind side, and a three game trial that went fairly well doesn’t totally extinguish those worries. But McGary has made strides in that regard over the course of his career and remains one of the finest run blocking tackles in the NFL, so he’ll get a long leash in 2025 to take on this new role and pave the way for Bijan Robinson. It’s also a long-term audition (read: 2-5 years) for him to remain at right tackle for the Falcons as Penix hopefully blossoms.
Swing tackle
Storm Norton
He’s become an extremely useful player for the Falcons. A former 15 game starter for the Chargers, Norton bounced around a bit as a reserve before Atlanta scooped him up and found him to be a quality swing tackle who has had to fill in multiple times for McGary in particular, with a solid track record in pass protection and moments as a run blocker. There’s no reason to think the Falcons will be ready to drop him for one of the guys in our next section in 2025, so he should once again line up as a swing tackle ready to take on a game or two when McGary gets dinged up.
Reserves and roster hopefuls
Jack Nelson, Tyrone Wheatley, Brandon Parker, Kilian Zierer, Jordan Williams
It’s a long list.
Nelson will be one to keep an eye on this summer. A 2025 Falcons late draft pick, he’s an intriguing tackle who moves well and is a worthwhile long-term project, at the very least. If he impresses, he’s ticketed for a roster spot; if not, expect the Falcons to try to sneak him on to their practice squad.
Parker was on the roster last year after the team scooped him up, but did not appear in any games. He’s easily the most experienced option in this group, having started 33 games over five seasons with the Raiders, and that likely gives him a real leg up on the hunt for a practice squad spot.
Wheatley joined the Falcons practice squad last October and signed a reserve/future deal in January, so his fortunes likely depend on how much he has impressed the coaching staff to this point with new faces. February signing Zierer is a fellow German for Lenny Krieg to hang out with this summer, but faces long odds to grab a spot in this crowded room. Ditto Williams, the Georgia Tech product who has experience at both guard and tackle that makes him an intriguing long term stash, but likely has an uphill battle to hang on without a huge summer.