Falcons offensive line ranked sixth-best for 2017

Pro Football Focus ranked the Falcons’ line as the sixth-best unit in 2016. The Falcons return four starters along the offensive line with the weakest link, right guard Chris Chester, off to retirement.

That opens up the possibility that the unit could be even better in 2016 but PFF is skeptical about that and predicts the Falcons will have the league's sixth-ranked unit again in 2017:

I get what PFF is saying here. Chester may have been fading late in his career but at least he was experienced. Schweitzer hasn't played any official NFL snaps and Garland played just 42 last season. (PFF doesn't mention rookie Sean Harlow, a fourth-round pick who played tackle at Oregon State and will compete at right guard .)

One of those players could turn out to be adequate replacements for Chester. They may work out better, especially as a pass blocker. Or right guard could end up being a major weakness and wreck the cohesion the o-line has developed over the past two seasons.

Guards are easier to replace than tackles but o-line cohesion is no small thing. An improved line is an important reason why the Falcons went from mediocre in 2015 to NFC champs in 2016. The unit was pretty good in 2015 and even better in 2016, especially with run blocking.

That happened because of personnel: The Falcons signed center Alex Mack (who would make the Pro Bowl) to replace Michael Person (who is out of the league). It happened because of experience: The line mastered the outside-zone blocking scheme in Year 2. Injury luck played a factor: No major setbacks until Mack broke his left fibula in the NFC championship game, an ailment that contributed to the team’s historic and nightmarish collapse in the Super Bowl.

Chances are, the good injury luck won’t last. Mack had surgery after breaking the same fibula in 2014 while with the Browns (he didn’t have surgery this time). There isn’t much depth behind him or any of the other o-line starters which, really, is kind of the norm for NFL teams.