Freddie Falcon
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The Falcons have always had a wealth of skill-position talent.
But when General Manager Thomas Dimitroff went to work this offseason, he wanted to build from the inside out.
Via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dimitroff said the signings of guards James Carpenter and Jamon Brown were key for a team that struggled up front last season.
“We’re real excited about having two big dudes coming in,” Dimitroff said. “They are accomplished guys. Have a lot of experience. Both of them fit in at the guard spots for us.”
The Falcons were willing to let former left guard Andy Levitre walk into free agency, after his 2018 season ended early with a triceps injury that sent him to IR. Right guard Brandon Fusco also broke his ankle in October. That left the Falcons scrambling to protect, as they allowed 42 sacks and 108 hits on Matt Ryan, the most their quarterback has taken in his career.
“There is no mystery about that,” Dimitroff said. “The history of where we were in the last couple of years and our guard situation, we needed guards that were going to come in and anchor for Matt. That’s a big thing for us. We love the fact that we have some size there, which is going to be good for us. . . .
“They can move the pile a little bit more than we have or hopefully a lot more than we have on those really important downs. The ones that are 1-yard downs is more of what I’m referring to,.”
The Falcons could still stand to add more pieces, but they’re closer to stability on the line now, giving Ryan more of a chance.