Falcons OT Kaleb McGary Playing 'Really Good Football', Says Coach

McGary is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 20, 2022

Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Kaleb McGary, a 2019 first-round pick, is in the final year of his rookie contract. After Atlanta declined his fifth-year option, McGary will enter free agency at season's end.

The Falcons have shown their unwillingness to commit to McGary long term, so the team jumped in free agency to sign veteran Germain Ifedi as an insurance policy.

However, McGary has seen majority of the first-team reps at right tackle during training camp and head coach Arthur Smith is pleased with his progress.

"He's having a solid camp," Smith said. "I'm proud of Kaleb. He's come a long way... I think he's playing really good football right now."

McGary has been a strong run blocker but has struggled to protect the passer over the course of his career. This is not uncommon as there are many lineman who develop a later as pass protectors.

As a first-round pick, the Falcons were hoping that McGary could be a tackle of the future. This might not be the case unless he can improve in pass protection.

McGary was credited (or blamed) with giving up nine sacks last season, tied for the second-most among tackles, left or right, in the NFL. His overall grade of 62.4 from Pro Football Focus (PFF) was bolstered by his 71.4 run blocking grade. His 50.6 pass blocking grade was graded 116th among offensive tackles.

However, with the Falcons going from pocket-passer Matt Ryan to the mobile Marcus Mariota, the scheme could play into McGary's favor and lead to his best season yet with the team.

McGary and the Falcons are preparing for their second preseason contest Monday night against the New York Jets. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Published Aug 20, 2022

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.