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With the news that Mike Person is moving to right guard, we have as good a sense of how this offensive line will shake out as we ever do in late March. Here's what we're looking at as of today:
Left tackle: Jake Matthews
Left guard: Andy Levitre
Center: Alex Mack
Right guard: Mike Person
Right tackle: Ryan Schraeder
Backup options: Tom Compton, Bryce Harris, James Stone, Ben Garland, Adam Replogle, Collin Rahrig
What could change, here? Aside from injuries, it's still possible that the Falcons gin up some competition at guard for Mike Person, though I would consider him the favorite with his official move to the position. Ryan Schraeder could get a compelling enough offer from another team that the Falcons let him go, pick up another second round pick, and trot out a veteran, a guy like Tom Compton or Bryce Harris, or even a high-round rookie at right tackle. At this point, though, I expect Person to start and Schraeder to return, so we'll roll ahead with that assumption. The team does not have an inspiring collection of backups at the moment, but they should be able to sort out swing tackle between Compton and Harris, while two out of three of Stone, Garland, and Rahrig will compete on the interior if the Falcons don't add anyone else.
This is a line that has the chance to be markedly better than it was a year ago. Matthews is very good, I don't think Schraeder's play is going to dip significantly, Mack is a massive upgrade at center, and it's fair to argue that Person should be at least as good as Chris Chester at right guard from a pure blocking standpoint. Person and Andy Levitre certainly should get a lift from not having...well, Mike Person at center. The biggest issue is depth, because injury means you're swiftly dipping into players who just don't have a ton of experience, talent, or both.
If the question is "will the Falcons be better along the line," though, my answer is yes, this should be a better line than 2015's edition, and one that should enable this offense to succeed more than it did in 2015. It'll be up to Matt Ryan, the passing game, the team's talented young backs, and much-maligned offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to handle the rest.