Chris Lindstrom, Matt Gono will get playing time at guard Sunday for Falcons

Good news has been hard to come by for this year’s Falcons team, so I’m pleased to be able to share an unequivocally great update for our favorite squad. Rookie Chris Lindstrom will return to action Sunday against the Panthers, and fan favorite Matt Gono will be active and getting time at right guard as well.

It’s hard to overstate how important this is for the offensive line, which has been awful much of the year. With James Carpenter out, Jamon Brown and Wes Schweitzer fresh off yet another mediocre-to-terrible game against the Saints, and Lindstrom healthy, the time is right to take a look at two relative unknowns.

It isn’t even a little bit clear how things are going to shake out for the guard rotation at the moment, which is likely by design. Lindstrom began the year as the starting right guard, but if the team is going to keep him there, they’ll need to move either Schweitzer, Brown or both over to left guard for this one. It’s certainly conceivable that both spots will prove to be a rotation, with Schweitzer and Brown handling one spot and Gono spelling Lindstrom at the other. I wouldn’t start constructing scenarios for your weekly Falcons offensive line roleplaying section until there’s more clarity available, is all I’m saying.

The important thing is that the Falcons will get a closer look at two players who could be integral in 2020. Lindstrom has the upside to be one of the NFL’s better guards down the line and should be locked into a starting spot next year, but the Falcons would surely like to see him play and play well down the stretch here. Gono could a key reserve with his ability to play both guard and tackle and his much-hyped development, but again, at some point we need to see him actually play. With any luck, both will get plenty of snaps and play well, with Brown and Schweitzer doing a better job wherever they wind up.