Falcons OT Kaleb McGary Re-Signing a 'Risk'?
The Atlanta Falcons are entering free agency with a boatload of cap space and an agenda.
The first item on that agenda? Find a tackle, or re-sign Kaleb McGary.
The Falcons already opted not to use the franchise tag on McGary, who failed to live up to his first-round status in his first three NFL seasons. But he was able to turn it around in 2022 to become one of the top tackles in this year's free agency class.
However, he comes with a risk, and Bleacher Report ranked him the fifth-riskiest player in the free agency class.
"McGary was one of the NFL's best run-blocking tackles this past season. But he was average at best in pass protection, allowing six sacks, per Pro Football Focus. In 2021, he surrendered nine sacks, which was tied for the second-most leaguewide. Whichever NFL team forks over big bucks for McGary could wind up with a one-dimensional player whose career year in 2022 was more of the exception than the rule."
It's understandable that the Falcons didn't want to tag McGary after one strong season that may be a fluke. But they are allowing him to test the open market, where any team could value him more than Atlanta. And that would put the Falcons in need of a tackle either lesser than McGary on the open market or early in the draft.
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