The market for Evan Mathis should heat up in the near future

By now, everyone knows that Evan Mathis is the best guard available on the open market, and certainly someone the Falcons should at least have passing interest in. What's less clear is why his market has taken so much time to firm up, but it's certainly possible, as Mathis guesses, that his market will heat up in the next week or so.

The reasons for that are myriad. Teams like the Broncos and Falcons, who could use a talented interior lineman, either have or will have their stud receivers locked up in the near future, giving them a clearer cap picture. Camp is also fast approaching, and if you want Mathis to gel with his teammates and hit the ground running, you want him there from day one. There should be at least a half-dozen teams kicking the tires here.

The Atlanta Falcons could use Mathis not only because he's still a quality guard, but because as The DW reported earlier this week, Joe Hawley appears to be anticipating playing 2015 at something less than 100%. Hawley's a tough son of a beard, and he'll do everything he needs to in order to ensure he's on the field, but Mathis is an insurance policy who also happens to be better than Chris Chester at left guard. Chester would then be a logical choice to serve as an interior super sub and potential fill-in if Hawley's injury flares up, and the offensive line would certainly be better for it. The big question is whether the Falcons will have the money (probably) and the will (no clue) to get it done.

Keep an eye on Mathis's market ahead of camp, and we'll see if the Falcons bite.