The Falcoholic
The writing has been on the wall for this move, but we hoped to get better news. Alas. The Atlanta Falcons are indeed placing right tackle Kaleb McGary on injured reserve, and we don’t have any timetable for when he might return.
With the initial 53 man roster being unveiled, we have learned that McGary was not on the IR/designated to return list, which means he will miss the entire 2025 season.
McGary had just signed a new deal and was riding high as Michael Penix’s blindside protector and the team’s right tackle for 2025 and well beyond, an honor he had earned by slowly improving his pass protection even while he dominated in the run game. One of the better run blockers in football at the position, McGary has been a vital part of the success of this team’s ground game paving the way for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, and the Falcons clearly trusted him to do enough in pass protection to help keep this thing humming. Now we won’t see him doing that valuable work until 2026.
The veteran tackle was a first round pick in 2019 alongside Chris Lindstrom after then-general manager Thomas Dimitroff traded up for him, and has started 92 of a possible 93 games he’s appeared in since then. McGary has appeared in at least 14 games every season and played every game in three of six seasons, but usually is banged up for a short time every year, missing four combined games over the past two seasons. This is the first time he will miss more significant time, and unfortunately
With McGary on IR and Storm Norton not set to return for a month or two into the season, the Falcons reportedly traded for Seahawks tackle Michael Jerrell and may not be done adding to the position group, given that veteran journeyman Elijah Wilkinson, veteran Brandon Parker, and rookie Jack Nelson are their other options. Wilkinson is likely to get first crack at starting at right tackle, but this offense is going to sorely miss McGary, a player who was once widely criticized by this fanbase but has grown into being viewed (justifiably) as a pretty essential player.
We’ll have to see what the solution ends up being, but this is a huge blow to the team and to the player, who had gained some security for the coming seasons but now will face real questions about his long-term future in Atlanta owing to a serious injury. For the moment, we’ll wish him well on his recovery, hope to see him fully healthy in 2026, and hope the Falcons can weather this season without him.
