Having been released by Washington earlier this week, veteran guard Chris Chester is drawing interest from multiple teams already, and has visits lined up with the Falcons and Eagles, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
As I noted when he was cut on Wednesday, while Chester wasn’t consistently above-average at the right guard spot in Washington, he wasn’t a major liability either. In 2014, the 32-year-old played the eighth-most offensive snaps among guards (1,091), and ranked 33rd among 78 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required).
The Falcons currently have Harland Gunn, who has made one career start, penciled in as a potential starter at one of their guard spots following the departure of Justin Blalock, so it makes sense that they’d at least kick the tires on Chester. Atlanta’s offensive line wasn’t one of the team’s strong spots last year, and the club didn’t address the position in the draft until the seventh round.
As for the Eagles, their line is more impressive on paper, but Evan Mathis‘ status remains up in the air. As Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes, there’s no guarantee that the two-time Pro Bowler even starts the regular season on Philadelphia’s roster, given the discord between Mathis and the team. Former Eagles right guard Todd Herremans also must be replaced this season.