The Falcons came up short against the Chiefs on Sunday night, and their offensive line suffered multiple injuries in the process. Both center Drew Dalman and right tackle Kaleb McGary are in danger of missing time. 
Dalman suffered a high ankle sprain, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Further testing is still needed, but Rapoport adds the 25-year-old is expected to miss time to the point where injured reserve may come into play. An IR stint would guarantee at least a four-week absence and leave the Falcons without a full-time starter up front.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, Dalman hardly saw the field during his rookie season. Since then, however, he has taken on first-team center duties. The Stanford product has only missed three games so far in his career, but the injury suffered last night threatens to increase that figure. Dalman graded out as PFF’s third-best center in 2023, and his early showings this year slotted him fifth. Any missed time would be acutely felt.
McGary exited the loss due to a knee injury. Rapoport notes the ailment is believed to be an MCL sprain, although an MRI will be needed to confirm. If that diagnoses proves to be true, at least a brief absence would become likely in McGary’s case. The Washington product has started all but one game during his six years in Atlanta, and durability has generally not been a concern. PFF has not usually rated McGary as one of the league’s top tackles, but the former first-rounder ranked fourth in 2022.
McGary, 29, is attached to a three-year, $34.5MM extension he inked last offseason as part of the Falcons’ investments up front. He is a key figure for the team’s efforts to deliver a step forward on offense in 2024; the same is of course true of Dalman, who is a pending free agent. Updates in both cases will be worth watching closely.