Falcons move Jake Matthews to left tackle
With Sam Baker out for the season with a knee injury, the Falcons switched rookie Jake Matthews to left tackle in practice on Monday.
Lamar Holmes, who started at left tackle for most of last season, was moved to right tackle.
Baker suffered a torn patellar ligament in his right knee on his 14th snap against the Houston Texans on Saturday.
Matthews, the sixth overall pick, has been working with the first-team office since OTAs.
During his college career, he played mostly right tackle, but was the left tackle last season at Texas A&M.
He started all 26 games at right tackle from 2011 and 2012. In 2013, he replaced Jaguars first-rounder Luke Joeckel at left tackle and started all 13 games.
Matthews is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews, who played 19 seasons in the NFL.
Matthews will play next to left guard Justin Blalock. Holmes will play next to right guard Jon Asamoah with Joe Halwey as the center.
The second-team line features left tackle Terren Jones, left guard Mike Johnson, center Peter Konz, right guard Harland Gunn and right tackle Ryan Schraeder.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
