The Falcoholic
The Atlanta Falcons had to make a move. With Kaleb McGary likely to miss a long while and swing tackle Storm Norton out for at least the first month of the NFL regular season, the team was in dire need of right tackle help. They may not be done, but at least one move has been made.
The Falcons have traded a conditional 2027 seventh round pick, which is about as little as you can possibly trade, to the Seattle Seahawks for tackle Michael Jerrell. The 26-year-old has appeared in six NFL games, all of them in 2024, and logged 250 snaps, with almost all of those coming at right tackle.
A sixth round selection last year who was older for a rookie, Jerrell spent six seasons at Findlay in college, winning Great Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2023. He had 40 collegiate starts and showed well at the Hula Bowl, leading the Seahawks to invest in him. The Falcons saw him first-hand in his first NFL start, which came against Atlanta last year in Week 6. Pro Football Focus gave him mediocre marks for his first season outside of a road-grading run-blocking performance against the 49ers, but Atlanta very evidently liked something they saw from him.
Jerrell’s role on this roster won’t be clear until we hear from the coaching staff and see whether he’s lining up with the first team in practice, but the fact that Atlanta went out to get him and he has some starting experience suggests he’ll push Elijah Wilkinson for that role immediately, with a chance to hang on to it until Norton is healthy (and after if he somehow excels). Whether the Falcons will be satisfied with a tackle group likely to include Wilkinson, Jerrell, and either Jack Nelson, Brandon Parker, or both on the practice squad remains to be seen, as there are other veteran options out there they could certainly pursue. Ideally, Jerrell would be a reserve and long-term swing tackle option for Atlanta, but these are dire times.
For now, welcome Jerrell to Atlanta, and let’s hope he can help the Falcons weather the storm at right tackle effectively.
