Falcons OT Kaleb McGary: Top 30 NFL Free Agent?

Kaleb McGary is expected to make a massive amount of money in free agency. Can the Atlanta Falcons sign him back?

Jeremy Brener | Feb 27, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have oodles of cap space to go and spend on free agents, but they might want to also take care of one of their own.

Offensive lineman Kaleb McGary, a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is hitting free agency for the first time in his career after the Falcons didn't opt in to the fifth-year option on his contract.

McGary struggled in his first three seasons, but shined this past year, making him the 30th-best free agent on the market, according to Pro Football Talk.

McGary is the only Falcons free agent to make the Top 100 list, which means if Atlanta is going to make a concerted effort to bring back one of their own, he's the one you do it for.

McGary is the fourth-best tackle on the list, appearing after Orlando Brown Jr. (Kansas City Chiefs), Mike McGlinchey (San Francisco 49ers) and Jawaan Taylor (Jacksonville Jaguars).

This means that there should be competition, but given the fact the Falcons have more cap room than all but the Chicago Bears, Atlanta could potentially have a pretty good offer for McGary or any of the other top tackles for that matter.

That being said, McGary should cost a reasonable price for the Falcons and there's potential for a deal to be had. If not, maybe Atlanta will shell out more money for someone better than McGary or invest a high pick in a rookie that can immediately start after he's been drafted.

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Published Feb 27, 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.