Elijah Wilkinson Ready to be 'Next Man Up' For Falcons Offensive Line

The Atlanta Falcons lost starting right tackle Kaleb McGary for the season to a lower leg injury just weeks after the veteran lineman signed a two-year, $30 million extension ($17.99 million guaranteed). With the loss of backup tackle Storm Norton for six to eight weeks with an ankle injury, the Falcons need someone to fill the new hole on the right side of their offensive line, and it looks like Elijah Wilkinson is the man who is being called upon to fill that role. 

“So you know it’s go time for me,” Wilkinson said. “You know, you never want to see anybody go down, but you know, that’s an opportunity for me to step up and next man up.”

Wilkinson entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and was first signed by the Denver Broncos. The eight-year veteran has played four of the five positions of the offensive line during his time in the NFL, all but center. He has made 45 starts in his career, including nine games for the Falcons at left guard in 2022. 

According to Pro Football Focus, one of Wilkinson’s highest graded seasons came when he lined up at right tackle with the Chicago Bears. Wilkinson played 96 snaps at right tackle for Chicago and earned a 65.0 PFF grade (the second-highest of his career) along with a 68.5 run block grade (the second-highest of his career). He started three games at right tackle that season and gave up just one sack and zero pressures in those games.

Wilkinson did not start any games with the Falcons in 2024, but he started eight games in 2022 with the Falcons. He also appeared in 10 games at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals in 2023. The vet had an interesting analogy when explaining what it was like to rotate positions on the offensive line. 

“It’s kind of like riding a bike, man,” Wilkinson said. “You just got to get on and take a couple laps, and then you’ll be good, man. You know you’re back rolling.”

Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford had good things to say about Wilkinson. 

“He’s got great length. He’s athletic, and like I said, we’ve used him a lot in training camp at tackle. So, I like what I see there with Elijah.” Ledford said.

While head coach Raheem Morris has not made an official decision on who the starter will be at right tackle for Atlanta’s first game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, Wilkinson appears to be in line for the start. He believes he’s ready for this opportunity. 

“Yeah, man. I mean, this is what I’ve been doing all my life, you know,” he said. “So, it’s time to go.”