Whenever a team makes drastic changes to a single position group in the offseason, you can expect some growing pains. That’s been the case with the Falcons’ offensive line makeover thus far in 2019, offering a mixed bag of results through four preseason games. Last night was no different, as Atlanta’s front line looked really good at times, but also somewhat inconsistent in the 19-7 loss to the Redskins.
Pass protection was solid for the most part and when there weren’t penalties, we saw some legitimate running lanes opened up for Atlanta’s running backs.
Matt Gono got the the start at right tackle with Ty Sambrailo hurt. Despite missing on a few blocking assignments, Gono did enough to deserve a legitimate shot at the starting right tackle job.
Another name you may not be expecting to read about is Sean Harlow, who finished last night’s game as the highest graded Falcons offensive player by Pro Football Focus, with a game grade of 82.3.
You’d still like to see a little more consistency out of Jamon Brown and James Carpenter, the team’s two big free-agent acquisitions, but that should come with time as the group builds chemistry.
There’s a lot to like, yet still a lot to work on for this unit as the Falcons creep closer to the start of the regular season.
