Falcons' Smith Praises 'Tough-Minded' Rookie Bergeron

The Atlanta Falcons are leaning towards starting rookie Matthew Bergeron at left guard to start the season.

While he didn't get the reps at the beginning of training camp, initial starter Matt Hennessy suffered an injury and is sidelined for the foreseeable future. This is opening the door for Bergeron to take over as the starting guard. During Friday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Bergeron drew some first-team reps on the team's opening drive.

"He got his first snaps the other night," Smith said. "He did some decent things and [there are] some things he has to work on. But Matt's a tough-minded player and I enjoy coaching him."

Even though the Falcons traded up in the second round of the NFL Draft to take Bergeron with the No. 38 pick, his spot in the starting lineup isn't guaranteed despite being the frontrunner.

"We give every guy on this roster a chance to go earn a job and if a guy who was a college free agent is the best player, he should start," Smith said. "You obviously invest in guys early because there’s an expectation, but that’s not fair to the team (to automatically give them jobs)."

Bergeron will have a chance to complete his case to be the team's Week 1 starter at left guard in the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.