Atlanta Falcons reach injury settlement with center James Stone

The Atlanta Falcons have turned yet another page in their rebuild by coming to an injury settlement with center James Stone.

Stone appeared in 19 Falcons games with 10 of those being starts. While he was far from being an elite center he was not one of the worst in the league either.

The move however comes as somewhat of a surprise with the offseason depth gained at the center position. This release does little besides open up a roster spot and provide some clarity as to who the backup center will be. Stone had not impressed Falcons fans or coaches showing up out of shape and undergoing multiple stints on the bench, both because of poor play and injuries.

Chris Chester will provide plenty of depth behind free agent acquisition Alex Mack. Mack may be the biggest surprise addition to the Falcons thus far. He will provide the offensive line with some much needed leadership.

Stone’s departure does lead to wonder if the Falcons are indeed done adding and subtracting from their roster for the time being. With several intriguing names still on the free agent market, let’s hope this is a precursor move to add more talent.

The Falcons offensive line should see drastic improvements with the addition of Mack. Jake Matthews should continue to mature and become more consistent now that he has some help anchoring the line.

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This move clears up most of the confusion as to who will be starting and backing up along the offensive line. With Stone now gone, the Falcons line and backups will look a bit better.

There will still be plenty of interesting offensive line story lines to follow in camp however as all positions are not guaranteed. The Falcons are schedule to report to training camp on July 27.