Could Jamon Brown settle the interior offensive line if Chris Lindstrom misses time?

Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings was demoralizing. The Falcons fell behind 28-0 and failed in all three phases of the game. We have seen this same movie before: turnovers, penalties, bad coaching, and a team that shuts down after falling behind. It was ugly. Pressure is mounting on Dan Quinn in a season that already feels a bit too much like 2014.

The Vikings were going to be a tough battle. We knew the Falcons were starting the season off on the wrong foot, and two rookie offensive linemen starting against one of the league’s top defensive lines was a recipe for disaster. First-round rookie Chris Lindstrom is believed to have a fractured foot, which could potentially send him to short-term injured reserve for at least the next eight weeks.

Is this good for the team? No, of course not. Kaleb McGary missed most of training camp due to his heart procedure and is still getting into game shape. Now the team’s other rookie offensive lineman is going to miss multiple games. You would prefer the team decides the starting offensive line by the start of preseason and everyone can play together. While McGary was splitting snaps with the underwhelming Ty Sambrailo, McGary actually has a competent veteran backup.

Enter the 6-foot-4, 340-pound Jamon Brown. The former third-round pick and right guard was handed an $18.75 million deal by the Falcons only to put him in at the left guard competition. Lindstrom was not bad for a rookie for his brief NFL action. The staff handed him the starting job with an eye on the future, not necessarily because he was the best fit. Now if Lindstrom is indeed dealing with a multi-week injury, the decision is out of the staff’s hands.

Brown was handily outperformed at left guard by James Carpenter and was inactive on Sunday. However, returning him to his natural spot at right guard should be an improvement over any rookie, including a first-round pick. Brown takes home $8 million this season, so it is not the end of the world if he is active and starts.

We will find out quickly and on a national stage if Brown can help improve a bad offensive line. The Philadelphia Eagles head to Atlanta and bring with them another top defensive line to test the Falcons. If McGary can take more snaps, Brown can limit mistakes, and Jake Matthews does not have an uncharacteristically awful game, we may see a completely different line on Sunday night.