The Falcons are splitting the decisions on their 2019 first-round offensive linemen. In a pair of tweets, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Atlanta is picking up the fifth-year option on guard Chris Lindstrom, but declining to do so with tackle Kaleb McGary. 
Neither move is seen as much of a surprise. Lindstrom, the 14th overall selection and second offensive linemen to come off the board in that class, has started all 38 games he has played in. While that total includes only five games in his rookie season, he has improved from year to year so far. He was credited with just two penalties committed and zero sacks allowed by PFF, helping him earn a career-high 83.7 grade.
For McGary, who went 31st overall, the transition to the NFL hasn’t gone as smoothly. He has also logged plenty of snaps, starting 45 of 46 career games, but has had neither the immediate impact nor the upward trajectory of Lindstrom. His PFF grades have been in the low-to-mid-60s the past two seasons, and in 2021 he ranked 59th out of 83 qualifying tackles. He will head into this season unsure of his future with the team beyond that point.
By picking up Lindstrom’s option, Atlanta will have a key cog on the offensive line in place for at least two more seasons. As a Tier 3 player for financial purposes, he will earn just over $13.2MM in 2023. Given his level of play – and, to a lesser extent, the team’s lack of significant additions at the position in the draft – it would come as little surprise for a long-term deal to be on the horizon for him.
Brutal picks considering …
Few things more painful in team building than committing a ton of resources in a desperate attempt to fix a position group and still not fixing it. McGary was also an old draft pick, so he hasn’t developed as much as you’d like in three years even though he’s barely younger than guys like Tunsil and Conklin. Lindstrom has turned out decently, but his fifth year option will make him one of the highest paid guards in football. What a mess.
This is the result of the terrible draft decisions made by Dan Quinn. He would pass on players who were highly ranked at the same position but draft someone no one heard of instead because he said they were “DQ guys.” I don’t mind that he went after offensive lineman because it is one of the most important positions and the Falcons really needed help there. He just always drafted bad players. Lindstrom is good but should have been drafted a lot lower. The Falcons probably could have gotten him in the 2nd round. Kaleb McGary is just terrible. He was ranked a third round pick at best but Quinn traded up to draft him in the first round when way better offensive lineman were on the board. Very stupid. I’m wondering if the Falcons made the same mistake again by drafting Ridder at QB instead of Malik Willis.Either way, the Falcons spent super high draft picks in guys like Lindstrom and McGary because they need offensive line but they also pass in guys like Slayton, Penei Sewell and Charles Cross when those guys are legitimate star offensive line prospects. That’s very frustrating for Falcons fans. It’s like they trade up for the sole purpose of drafting worse players at the same position when they could have just not traded at all and drafted a much better and higher ranked player instead. They should have drafted Sewell last year and Cross this year. Sewell, Cross, Lindstrom and Matthews would make a hell of an offensive line. Instead they just have Lindstrom, Matthews and McGary. Pretty sad. Quinn is also the guy who spent super high draft picks on guys like Vic Beasley (out of the NFL because he sucks), Keanu Neal (Never stays healthy), Jalen Collins (was never supposed to be drafted that high and out of the NFL for being terrible and testing positive for PEDs) and Kaleb McGary (terrible). That’s just an awful way to build a team. He also lobbied for the Falcons to give out massive contracts to guys like DeVontae Freeman (gone and became terrible as soon as the Falcons made him the highest paid running back in the NFL) and Deion Jones (not very good anymore but the Falcons are still stuck paying him $23 million per year to be an average at best linebacker). No wonder this team is in the shape that it is. Dan Quinn really screwed it up. He made it very expensive and very bad at the same time and he did it with long term contracts. They need to tear it down even more and dump Deion Jones so they don’t have to pay him anything after this year. The dead cap hit won’t matter because they won’t win this year anyway so they might as well do what they can to free up as much money as possible for 2023.