Atlanta Falcons OTAs: DT/OL hybrid Ben Garland gets early first team snaps at right guard

The Atlanta Falcons have quite the renaissance man in Ben Garland. He plays a little defensive tackle. He can play center and guard. He will cook you up a delicious egg white omelet and pair it with some fresh strawberries, if you ask nicely. So when Chris Chester formally announced his retirement earlier in the offseason, no one at Flowery Branch hit the panic button.

Garland will battle it out with second-year player Wes Schweitzer and rookie fourth round draft pick Sean Harlow. The first couple days of OTAs aren’t all that telling long-term, but for what it’s worth, Garland is getting the first team reps.

Again, this is really not something anyone should read into too extensively. That said we know Garland is, at a minimum, a solid football player. With Alex Mack on his left and Ryan Schraeder on his right, one would think Garland could get the job done. Heck, if his career trajectory to date is any indication, he may be a Pro Bowler before we know it! Seriously though, I’m definitely curious to see what Garland can do. I’m glad the team intends on throwing him into the fire from the outset.

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