Facing setback at right tackle, Falcons can turn a negative into a positive
FLOWERY BRANCH — It could be the first step on the Falcons’ journey toward their eighth consecutive season without a playoff berth.
Or is it possible that the season-ending leg injury to right tackle Kaleb McGary and backup tackle Storm Norton’s simultaneous absence with ankle surgery isn’t what it looks like — an extra-large serving of Falcons juju — but could actually be a moment of triumph in the regime of coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot?
The answer will begin to reveal itself Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, when the Falcons open the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The idea that third-string tackle Elijah Wilkinson, going into his ninth season as career backup, could be a serviceable option at right tackle might strike you as fanciful or possibly delusional — kind of like my idea that teams should be able to barter with each other during the game.
(Imagine this: Team A is down 10 points at the two-minute warning, but it has only one timeout left. Team A can negotiate with Team B to obtain one of its timeouts in exchange for field position, time off the clock, a draft pick, salary-cap space or anything else it wants to offer. What some would call an abomination, I call the game’s next evolution. But back to Wilkinson, the man of the hour.)
Just the fact that Wilkinson is the team’s third option at the position is a commentary on his ability to contain edge rushers and generate movement in the run game. If Wilkinson were better at either or both skills, he wouldn’t be a third-string player. Further, the fact that Fontenot has added a busload of offensive tackles in the wake of McGary’s injury doesn’t inspire great faith in Wilkinson, either.
And, for good measure, the Falcons called on Wilkinson for only one offensive snap last season, and he hasn’t played a down at right tackle since 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Kaleb’s a significant loss, there’s no doubt about it,” Morris said. “Don’t want to sugarcoat that.”
But maybe Wilkinson has improved in his year-plus with the Falcons and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, his second stint with the team. And maybe offensive coordinator Zac Robinson can conjure up a game plan that is equal parts sound and creative to give Wilkinson the help he needs against Buccaneers edge rushers YaYa Diaby and Haason Reddick and in weeks to come until Norton is ready, which might be the fifth game of the season.
Is there a chance that this won’t be the decided disadvantage at a key position that it looks like from the outside?
“I have a ton of confidence in Elijah,” Robinson said. “He’s a good pass protector. He’s played a lot of football, so (I) feel really good with him at that spot.”
It would be a feather in the cap for all involved if he validated Robinson’s estimation — Fontenot, Morris, Ledford, Robinson and, not least, Wilkinson himself. As the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator in 2023, Morris himself boosted his head-coach candidacy when he fashioned a decent defense despite salary-cap constraints forcing him to rely on young and inexpensive talent.
Maybe this could be the same boost for Robinson, if he find ways to score points despite a right tackle whom opponents figure to try to exploit.
“Zac will get the credit when it goes right,” Morris said. “At the same time, he’ll get the blame (if it goes wrong), if I don’t get it first.”
However long Wilkinson is his right tackle, Robinson will be summoned to find creative ways to keep the heat off Wilkinson and, in turn, quarterback Michael Penix Jr., while not hampering the offense. Robinson can help Wilkinson with a tight end, put an emphasis on quick-hitting pass plays and roll Penix away from Wilkinson, among other options.
“Possibly, but we’ll see,” Robinson said. “We’ll see once the ball’s kicked off what we’ve got planned for that.”
For the Falcons, though, this isn’t only a “It’d be nice if it were to happen” situation. The front of the schedule is brimming with playoff contenders against which the Falcons won’t have much margin for error — Tampa Bay, followed by Minnesota (on the road), Carolina (road), Washington, Buffalo and San Francisco (road).
The Falcons can feel good about the Panthers game, but four of the remaining five opponents made the playoffs last year and the fifth — the 49ers — figure to be back in the hunt this year. Wilkinson will face a slew of elite edge rushers with a history of tilting games in their teams’ favor.
Trying to end their seven-year postseason drought, the Falcons can’t afford to get too far behind in the standings early, and they need Wilkinson’s help. They’ll have to find ways to win when the odds are against them. It wasn’t a strength last season, when they were 1-4 as underdogs.
It looks a lot like a setback. Morris has the chance to make it something else.
“We’re all going to try to figure out what is the best way for us to win football games,” Morris said. “Got a lot of confidence in Elijah Wilkinson.”
At this point, Morris and the Falcons don’t have any other choice.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
