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It Appears The Falcons May Have To Part Ways With Drew Dalman

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Petry | Last updated Mar 5, 2025 9:50 PM ET

The consistency with the Atlanta Falcons offensive line may be coming to an end.

It's not often that a team keeps together an offensive line, much less as consistently as the Falcons have over the past couple of years. Names like Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Drew Dalman, Chris Lindstrom, and Kaleb McGary have been together for a couple of years now, but that may look different heading into training camp this summer.

Falcons Center Drew Dalman was selected 114th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft in the fourth round. But his time in Atlanta may be coming to an end, as he is scheduled to hit the free agency market ranked in the top three in the NFL at the center position.

It also appears that Dalman would get more money elsewhere with another team. ESPN's Dan Graziano has reported that the Falcons are "fully prepared to lose him". With other decisions having to be made around names such as Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts, Atlanta may not be able to take on that salary as Matthews, Lindstrom and McGary make up over 21% of the salary cap.

So what does this mean for Atlanta? Will they need to draft a center? Or will they sign one for cheaper via free agency? Not necessarily.

Backup center Ryan Neuzil started eight games for Atlanta in 2024 while Dalman was injured. Neuzil also received most of the practice reps with Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. before he was thrust into a starter role after Cousins was benched.

If Neuzil can prove that he is consistent within the starting rotation, he could have a leg up on any camp competition this summer.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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