The Falcons have agreed to a new deal with veteran offensive tackle Germain Ifedi, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Ifedi signed a one-year deal to remain in Atlanta as a quality depth piece for the offensive line.
Ifedi signed with the Falcons last year at the end of a two-year stint in Chicago. Ifedi was coming off a knee injury that had landed him on injured reserve for most of his last season with the Bears. He had started 2021 as a starter in Chicago, but shortly after his return from IR, Ifedi found himself on the bench to end the season.
He picked up in Atlanta where he had left off in Chicago. Ifedi had started all 60 games he appeared in with his original team in Seattle at either right guard or right tackle. When he got to Atlanta, the Falcons had pretty much solidified their starters at both positions with Chris Lindstrom at guard and Kaleb McGary at tackle. Because of their presence, Ifedi found himself playing mostly on special teams and coming off the bench if playing on offense at all.
Lindstrom and McGary were both set to hit the free agent market after contract years, and both players had career seasons last year. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McGary graded out as the fourth-best tackle in the NFL last year. While that’s hard to beat, Lindstrom did just that, not only grading as the league’s best guard in 2022 but ending the season with the highest offensive grade of any lineman in the NFL. This resulted in both players getting new contracts with McGary on a new three-year deal and Lindstrom signing a five-year extension.
With those two remaining in place, Ifedi is expected to reprise his role from last season. Expect Ifedi to provide the Falcons with a special teams lineman and an experienced veteran ready to fill in for Lindstrom or McGary at a moment’s notice.
Dude could find good work in the subway as a turnstile