Three Atlanta Falcons players set to regress in 2022

The Atlanta Falcons’ starting left tackle, Jake Matthews, will likely continue his slow, steady decline

The Falcons have had a solid, reliable left tackle since 2014, and that is what every team wants, but that does not mean Jake Matthews’ play hasn’t been slowly regressing ever since he hit his peak in 2017 to 2018.

Very few left tackles have been better than him in pass protection over the past eight years. Nobody ever mentions him as one of the best offensive tackles over the past decade, but the facts are the facts, he has been.

The thing is that he has never been an elite run blocker, but I think we would all rather our left tackle protect the blindside of our quarterback than be a dominant run blocker.

As previously stated, Jake Matthews had his best years during the two seasons following Super Bowl 51, but since then his play has been slowly dropping. The key word is ‘slowly’ because while his play isn’t getting any better, it is not to the point yet where you even consider replacing him, hence why they signed him to a three-year extension in March.

The trend is what it is and there is no reason to think it will stop as he continues to get older but the Atlanta Falcons still have one of the most reliable left tackles in the game and that is enough reason to keep him around.