Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Thursday, Aug. 1

It’s Hall of Fame Game day, Falcoholics. A few short hours for now the Atlanta Falcons will suit up against the Denver Broncos in Canton, and it will be our first look at some of the new additions and draftees. Read on for Thursday’s Falcoholinks ahead of tonight’s matchup.

Kaleb McGary sidelined

Falcons first-rounder Kaleb McGary left Tuesday’s practice with what was described as an illness, and yesterday we learned that McGary will be sidelined for some time. McGary is slated to undergo a cardiac ablation procedure, a minimally-invasive heart procedure that he has had done twice already. The recovery expectation is 6-8 weeks.

This means that unless something changes, the Falcons will likely enter the season with Ty Sambrailo as the starter at right tackle, with Matt Gono or John Wetzel serving as backups.

Best of luck during surgery and recovery, Kaleb!

Julio: You’re up

Yesterday the New Orleans Saints locked up wide receiver Michael Thomas (who caught four passes for 36 yards in the NFC Championship Game) to a five-year deal worth $100 million. The new contract makes Thomas the highest paid receiver in the league — that is until Julio Jones puts the pen to paper for his new deal.

Michael Thomas has set the market for top receivers, and given his career body of work, Jones’s new deal is set to eclipse the figure that Thomas just agreed to — and it may be coming in short order. With Thomas’ new deal, Julio’s camp can come to the table with a new floor for an extension.

Publicly, Julio appears unconcerned and is simply focused on getting fully healthy for the start of the season. That’s my wide receiver.

Ricardo Allen ‘at full speed’

Much of training camp so far has been monitoring the progression of Falcons players returning from injury — especially Ricardo Allen. Achilles injuries are notoriously difficult to return from, so it’s great to hear Coach Quinn state that Allen is ‘definitely at full speed.’

Allen coming back healthy is a definite boost for Atlanta’s defense, and with his superlative camp so far (which includes an interception), Ricardo definitely seems on track to rejoin the secondary.

What to know for the Hall of Fame Game

The Falcons play some football tonight, taking on the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame Game. Coach Quinn said that he’d be utilized the game to evaluate some of the Falcons’ rookies, so expect them to get some extended run. Head on over here for all of the notes you need prior to gametime.

Following the Hall of Fame Game, of course, will be the 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony this weekend. Former Chiefs and Falcons great Tony Gonzalez will be gracing the stage as part of the 2019 class, and quarterback Matt Ryan reflected on his time with Tony and what it’s meant for his career.