Kaleb

McGary

McGary only missed one game after suffering a knee injury in Week 3. He is good to for forr Atlanta’s matchup with the Bucs. Linebacker Troy Andersen was ruled out with a knee injury of his own.

Injured in Week 3, McGary has at least avoided injured reserve, suggesting he is truly week to week. His absence isn’t the best news for Bijan Robinson, but it’s not a rankings-effecter. Storm Norton is filling in.

McGary had a chance to suit up this week but the team opted to hold him out after testing his injured knee out on Friday. Backup T Storm Norton is expected to start in McGary’s stead.

This is great news for McGary, who some feared would miss some time with the injury. While it’s possible he could miss a game, we’ll likely get a better sense of of Week 4 availability when the team’s practice report drops on Wednesday. It’s also great news for the Falcons, who are expected to lose center Drew Dalman for a few weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Chiefs. McGary’s status will be one to watch as the Falcons prepare for a Week 4 matchup against the Saints.

McGary will undergo an MRI to confirm the exact nature of the injury and how much time he will miss. The veteran lineman has been solid this season, per PFF, playing on 117 snaps while allowing just one sack on five pressures. McGary also dealt with a groin injury ahead of Week 2, but was able to play through the ailment. Storm Norton is listed behind McGary on the team’s depth chart and would be the favorite to replace him should he miss any time.

McGary promisingly played through the injury last week, though more may be asked of him in Week 2. The Falcons’ passing game was heavily scrutinized following QB Kirk Cousins’ statuesque performance and the team thusly had Cousins take play-action repetitions under center during the media portion of practice on Thursday. The offensive line will have to buy Cousins all the time it can if Falcons coaches implement a new game plan. Falcons LB Nate Landman logged DNP designation on Thursday and Friday after adding a calf injury to his rehabilitation program. He was previously working through a quad injury.

McGary is the Falcons’ starting right tackle and his loss will make life harder for QB Taylor Heinicke against the Colts. Logan Woodside will be the emergency third quarterback for the Falcons behind new starter Heinicke and backup Desmond Ridder.

Left tackle Jake Matthews is questionable. Losing both starting tackles for Week 15 would be a nightmare for the Falcons’ ground-heavy approach. Both players rank inside Pro Football Focus’s top 30 tackles in overall grade this year. Though fantasy managers should still be firing up Bijan Robinson, he gets a slight downgrade in the ranks based on these injuries.

Head coach Arthur Smith said the team will make a decision on Terrell on Saturday after having a chance to speak with medical professionals. Terrell being upgraded to a full participant is good for his Week 14 outlook, but if he doesn’t clear concussion protocol, he won’t play. While Terrell’s status remains wait-and-see, the Falcons have already ruled out LB Nate Landman (knee), RT Kaleb McGary (knee), DL David Onyemata (ankle), and DE LaCale London (knee) for Sunday’s contest against the Buccaneers.

McGary joins Daniel Jones in the “fifth-year options declined, then re-signed next offseason” boat. He had a great season as a run blocker in a scheme that accentuated his best traits by not asking him to pass set as often as he had been. McGary had a career-high 86.6 PFF run block grade in 2022. This offense should remain a good fit for him, and the contract does not at all appear exorbitant compared to some of the lineman deals handed out earlier in free agency.