Falcons claim DL Matt Dickerson off waivers from Chiefs

Atlanta’s going to be in the market most of the fall for offensive and defensive line upgrades, if those become available. At the moment, they’re just looking to add some help before the season opener, and both of their waiver claims Wednesday were geared toward shoring up line depth.

Cory Woodroof wrote earlier that the Falcons had claimed tackle Chuma Edoga off waivers from the Jets, giving them a young swing tackle candidate for 2022. Now we’ve learned that the team also claimed Matt Dickerson off waivers from the Chiefs, giving them a veteran defensive tackle who logged some playing time for Dean Pees with the Titans back in 2018 and 2019. Aaron Freeman had mentioned him as a potential candidate a few days ago.

Dickerson has played sparingly since arriving in the NFL as an undrafted free agent back in 2018. Kevin Knight notes that his size suggests he’ll play end and inside, depending on the front. The limited playing time and production to this point doesn’t give us a lot to go off, but the hand of Dean Pees is evident here, and Lance Zierlein called Dickerson a strong, technically proficient lineman in his pre-draft scouting report. The hope will be that he can provide quality work as a reserve and show more with a larger role, which right now he’d certainly have in Atlanta.

There’s no word of a corresponding move just yet, but it will likely be an end-of-roster cut or Marlon Davidson heading to injured reserve. Welcome Dickerson to Atlanta!