For all of the questions that have surfaced about the Atlanta Falcons in 2026, they have started and ended with the quarterback position. Nobody knows what sort of play to expect out of Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa in 2026, but the looming QB battle should answer most of those questions.
Between the two signal-callers, they have the weapons and the upside to thrive in this new system, but that's not all it comes down to. The Falcons know that of these guys taking a step forward is beating their injury histories and finding ways to ensure they both manage to stay healthy in 2026.
And that all starts with the question of who will be protecting Penix or Tua. On paper, the Falcons have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, but there are more cracks in the armor this season than in a while, especially with Dwayne Ledford in Baltimore and the OL dealing with learning a new system.
The Falcons' offensive line will help determine how this team fares in 2026
To replace Ledford, the Falcons brought in Stefanski's old friend and legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan to be the new OL coach. And under Callahan's tutelage, Atlanta is looking to get more physical at the line of scrimmage to run the ground-and-pound system that thrived in Cleveland.
Luckily, the Dirty Birds are returning four of their five starters from last season. With everyone healthy, the Falcons' starting five on the offensive line will be Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, and Jawaan Taylor, which is a bit better than the unit we saw last year
After Kaleb McGary missed all of 2025, Atlanta started Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle, but when McGary retired, they signed Taylor after the Chiefs cut him. And while he is coming off one of the worst years of his career, it shouldn't take much for be an upgrade protecting Penix or Tua's blind side.
The 28-year-old recorded 13 penalties last season, and is probably the weak link on this offensive line. But the other tackle position isn't in a much better spot, so even though Jake Matthews is an ironman, he's 34 years old and has slowly started to regress--something his durability can't prevent.
Meanwhile, Neuzil was an impressive starter in his first season replacing Drew Dalman last year, but there's been buzz that his job isn't particularly safe. And while Taylor has a tougher job protecting the blind side of the two lefty quarterbacks, Neuzil is probably the weakest starter on Atlanta's O-Line.
And then there's Matthew Bergeron, who is entering a contract year at left guard. Thankfully, the Falcons still have Chris Lindstrom, who remains one of the NFL's best interior linemen. but he can't carry this group all alone. The tackle play needs to improve and Neuzil needs to solidify himself as a top center for the OL to be considered a success.
Thankfully, the offensive line has a longer shelf life than most positions, but Callahan's work with this Falcons OL will ultimately determine how high this offense flies. Between the QB play and an elite back like Bijan Robinson, a unit this talented can't afford to have this many questions in the trenches.
Add us as a preferred source on Google