Falcons' Arthur Smith Praises 'Tough-Minded' Rookie Matthew Bergeron

Matthew Bergeron was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 23, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are leaning towards starting rookie Matthew Bergeron at left guard to start the season.

While he didn't get the reps at the beginning of training camp, initial starter Matt Hennessy suffered an injury and is sidelined for the foreseeable future. This is opening the door for Bergeron to take over as the starting guard. During Friday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Bergeron drew some first-team reps on the team's opening drive.

"He got his first snaps the other night," Smith said. "He did some decent things and [there are] some things he has to work on. But Matt's a tough-minded player and I enjoy coaching him."

Even though the Falcons traded up in the second round of the NFL Draft to take Bergeron with the No. 38 pick, his spot in the starting lineup isn't guaranteed despite being the frontrunner.

"We give every guy on this roster a chance to go earn a job and if a guy who was a college free agent is the best player, he should start," Smith said. "You obviously invest in guys early because there’s an expectation, but that’s not fair to the team (to automatically give them jobs)."

Bergeron will have a chance to complete his case to be the team's Week 1 starter at left guard in the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Published Aug 23, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.