Atlanta Falcons Rookie Matthew Bergeron Impressing at New Position

The play of Atlanta Falcons rookie offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron has caught the attention of head coach Arthur Smith.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Matthew Bergeron in the second round of this year’s draft, and so far, head coach Arthur Smith has been impressed by what he’s seen.

In 2019, Bergeron became the first freshman to start at offensive tackle in roughly 20 years. In the subsequent seasons, he would be an ALL-ACC honorable mention at left and then earn second-team honors.

Since coming to Atlanta, Bergeron has had to learn a new position, but his improvement on the inside of the line has been promising enough to earn him praise from his coach.

The improvement of rookie Matthew Bergeron since moving to the inside of the Atlanta Falcons offensive line has earned the praise of head coach Arthur Smith / USA Today Sports

“I just think the more reps he has, like I said, he played a lot of games in college,” Smith said. “Moved him inside. Timing changed a little bit, but he’s done a good job. Every week, you can see him getting more comfortable in there. He’s been pretty effective.”

Bergeron entered the league known primarily for his run-blocking ability, something that the Falcons have been known to have their offense lean in on. However, like their young lineman, the passing game has also been improving this season.

This past week against the Houston Texans, Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder had his first game throwing for more than 300 yards and helped the team walk away with a win after looking stagnant on offense in recent matchups.

If Bergeron wants to continue impressing in the NFL, he’ll have to continue developing as a pass blocker on the inside as the season and his career progress. With a matchup against the Washington Commanders talented defensive line this week, he’ll have to display his versatility as a blocker to give Ridder and the Falcons offense a chance to repeat the success of a week ago.