ESPN Proposes Falcons Trade with Chiefs for Offensive Tackle Help

Atlanta Falcons starting right tackle Kaleb McGary is set to miss “significant time,” according to head coach Raheem Morris. Morris indicated that McGary would do a stint on the injured list, but didn’t clarify if that would be with a designation to return during the season or not.

If McGary does get one of the two spots to be designated for return, he’ll miss at least the first four games of the season. If he isn’t designated for return, he’ll be out for the season. 

Backup offensive tackle Storm Norton is also set to miss six to eight weeks after getting surgery on a problematic ankle that has plagued him during the offseason.    

With the Falcons set to kick off in less than two weeks, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested a trade to the Chiefs could be in order. Barnwell suggested the Falcons send cornerback Clark Phillips III to Kansas City for offensive tackle Wanya Morris and a sixth-round pick.

Morris was benched last season after an emergency stint at left tackle.

“With that being said, Morris is a more valuable player than it might seem,” Barnwell wrote on ESPN. “He was better at right tackle than he was at left tackle, and the 2023 third-round pick will make $2.6 million over the next two seasons. In a market in which Dan Moore and current Chiefs lineman Jaylon Moore received $15 million or more per season in free agency, Morris would have meaningful value if he were on the open market.”

Morris turns 25 years old in October and is a former third-round pick of the Chiefs. He carries a $1.2 million salary this year and $1.4 million in 2026, according to Spotrac. 

Morris played just 52 snaps at right tackle last season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). However, his PFF blocking grades were significantly higher in the games he played at right tackle vs. the games he played on the left side.

Morris received a season-high 79.2 pass blocking grade against the Houston Texans in Week 16, a game he played at right tackle. He also received a season-high 87.9 run blocking grade against the Denver Broncos in Week 18, another game he played at right tackle.

Morris is credited with giving up five sacks, seven hits, and 23 hurries. In the two games he played last season at right tackle, he gave up zero sacks and zero quarterback hits, and just two hurries. The biggest thing Morris struggles with is penalties, and he had 11 last season. However, he drew just one penatly in the Chiefs’ final four games of the season. 

The Falcons drafted cornerback Phillips in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Last season, the sophomore defender registered 35 tackles (27 solo, 8 assisted) two forced fumbles and an interception, one he would have taken all the way back for a touchdown if he did not selflessly slide to secure a victory. 

“Doing so would land them some needed cornerback depth in Phillips, who might be on the bubble to make the 53-man roster in Atlanta,” Barnwell wrote. “The third-year pro has been solid as a reserve corner over his first two years, though he has some concerns as a tackler. Phillips is dealing with a rib injury, but he could settle in later this season as a fourth cornerback in Kansas City.”

Getting a 24-year-old improvement at right tackle for the price of a player who is on the roster and getting a draft pick in return seems almost too good to be true for the Falcons.