Weekend Reflections: Falcons are in trouble before season even begins

What I think about some things I saw over the weekend …

Running back is the strongest position group for the Falcons. Offensive line is a close second. Those two things go hand in hand. Now, the Falcons are in trouble because two linemen suffered major injuries before the season even gets started.

After the Falcons played an exhibition game against Dallas on Friday night, coach Raheem Morris said right tackle Kaleb McGary likely is headed to injured reserve with a leg injury. That would keep McGary out for a minimum of four games. Top backup Storm Norton reportedly will miss six to eight weeks while recovering from ankle surgery performed Tuesday.

That means Elijah Wilkinson is projected to start at right tackle for at least four games. He started nine games at guard for the Falcons in 2022 and for the Cardinals in ’23. Wilkinson didn’t fare well either time, especially in pass protection. That’s why Wilkinson was on the Falcons’ practice squad for all but two games last season and is third-string now.

Unit cohesion is at least as important for line play as talent, and maybe Wilkinson will rise to the occasion. But I don’t know of any team that has a capable lineman that deep on the depth chart. The Falcons need McGary out there.

They demonstrated McGary’s value recently by signing him to a two-year contract extension with $18 million guaranteed. McGary and guard Chris Lindstrom’s work on the right side is a major reason the Falcons had a strong run-blocking line in 2024.

Per NFL Savant, a league-high 14.4% of the total plays run by the Falcons (237) in 2024 were rushes to the right side, and they gained an average of 4.9 yards on those plays. Look for the volume and effectiveness of those plays to drop with Wilkinson in place of McGary.

At least the Falcons have backs who can make things happen when the blocking isn’t ideal. Deploying extra help for the line with pass protection comes with bad trade-offs. The Falcons’ line wasn’t good at pass blocking in 2024. Now it will try to protect lefty quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with a third-string right tackle who has a poor track record as a pass blocker.

One bright side for the Falcons: They will face only one opponent over the first four games that is expected to have a strong pass-rushing group. The Vikings are excellent up front with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and ex-Alabama star Dallas Turner. The Buccaneers, Panthers and Commanders figure to be easier to block on pass plays.

Maybe those opponents still can generate an effective pass rush against the Falcons, especially if they can hold up against the run. The chances of both happening are much higher with Wilkinson in the lineup instead of McGary.

Braves hit snag with pitcher tryouts

The Braves have tried out veteran pitchers who can plug holes now and maybe show enough to warrant a spring training invite in 2026. They might as well take a shot with Joey Wentz, Tyler Kinley and Cal Quantrill. The alternatives were worse, and maybe the Braves can get more out of those pitchers than their previous teams.

Quantrill is the latest to get his chance. The Braves claimed him off waivers from the Marlins on Thursday and started him against the Mets on Saturday. It did not go well. Quantrill left the game because of calf cramps after allowing three runs over 4⅔ innings. That line was flattering considering Quantrill walked five batters and allowed a homer among five hits.

Wentz has been the best of the bunch. The Mets tagged him on Friday night for six runs on nine hits, including three for extra bases; it was Wentz’s first truly bad outing for the Braves. He’s compiled a 3.79 ERA and 3.11 FIP over eight appearances (seven starts).

The Braves acquired Kinley from the Rockies before the trade deadline. He’s been good out of the bullpen (one run allowed in nine appearances). The pitcher Kinley essentially replaced, Enyel De Los Santos, was terrible (De Los Santos ended up in Houston, where he’s been good). Kinley’s contract includes a $5 million option for 2025.

Dream’s Karl Smesko makes case for coach of the year

Golden State’s Natalie Nakase and Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve seem to be generating the most buzz for the WNBA coach of the year. After the Dream beat defending league champ New York on Saturday in College Park, forward Naz Hillmon said her coach, Karl Smesko, also should be a candidate.

“He definitely is deserving of being in those conversations, if not at the top, in my opinion,” Hillmon said after the Dream beat the Liberty. “Maybe I’m biased.”

Hillmon is biased, but that doesn’t mean she’s wrong. Smesko has helped to turn around the Dream in his first season as an WNBA coach after he spent 26 years at the collegiate level.

The Dream hired Smesko after six consecutive losing seasons with four different coaches. Now, the Dream are second in the WNBA standings and set a franchise record for wins in a season with the victory over the Liberty. The Dream have done that despite injuries to All-Star guard Rhyne Howard and major free-agent acquisition Brittney Griner.

Hillmon correctly predicted that Smesko would express indifference about the award.

“To me, the most important coach of the year is whoever wins a championship,” Smesko said. “The other thing is nice. It’s a title. It’s probably a contract bonus for most people. But, to me, the coach of the year is whoever gets their team to the playoffs and gets to hold the championship trophy in the end.”

That could end up being Smesko.