The Atlanta Falcons entered the 2022 offseason with a ton of money to spend. They have not been shy about using it to upgrade needs on the roster, as they have aggressively attacked the defensive side of the ball.
Atlanta signed linebacker Kaden Elliss and defensive lineman David Onyemata away from the New Orleans Saints to bolster their front seven. In the backend, they made their biggest splash, signing safety Jessie Bates III away from the Cincinnati Bengals.
They have done a good job of adding depth on defense as well, filling out the linebacker and cornerback depth charts, which should overflow into special teams. If they are going to make any more sizable commitments this offseason in free agency, it should come on offense.
The Falcons re-signed Kaleb McGary and agreed to a five-year extension with Chris Lindstrom, keeping two of their key contributors on the offensive line in the fold. Germain Ifedi was also re-signed as insurance in case things get shaky. One spot where he could end up becoming a starter is at left guard.
Left guard seems to be the only open spot along the offensive line. If the Falcons wanted to get aggressive and shore things up there, they could dip back into free agency and sign Dalton Risner.
Risner was named a good fit for the Falcons by Bill Barnwell over at ESPN. There is some surprise that Risner is even available still as he has been a productive guard in the first four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos. However, part of the reason is that he is known as a mauler in the run game.
With the league transitioning to more of a passing one, players like Risner aren’t in demand as much as they used to be. He struggled giving up sacks but plays a clean brand of football with only one holding call against him thus far in his career.
Risner is an above-average starter given his dominance as a run blocker. With the Falcons looking like a run-first team with Desmond Ridder as the starting quarterback, Risner is someone that would fit in perfectly at left guard.
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