Falcons to sign veteran, versatile offensive lineman Zane Beadles

The Atlanta Falcons are unlikely to make a deal at the trade deadline, of course, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t moving and/or shaking. They made yet another move to bolster their offensive line, which has lost both starting guards over the course of the last several weeks.

The addition is Zane Beadles, and that’s, well, something.

Beadles’ calling card is his versatility, as he can and has played tackle, guard and center. That gives the Falcons a reserve with the flexibility to take over at any position, theoretically, if the team suffers an injury. In practice, he’s likeliest to be an emergency option in case of injury at center or guard.

Beadles has not been a great player for a while now, and topped out as a solid contributor on gamedays during his halcyon days in...I guess Denver? This is the kind of move you make just to ensure you have veteran depth on hand, though I of course hope that if Beadles ever plays he winds up being far better than anticipated. The team now has Wes Schweitzer and Ben Garland as their nominal starters with Rees Odhiambo and Austin Pasztor recently added to the team to provide further depth, and it’ll be interesting both to see how the depth chart shakes out and to find out who is headed out the door to make room for Beadles.

Let’s hope the Falcons don’t have any more injuries along their offensive line.