He may not be the best player on the offensive line, but there is no player more important to the Atlanta Falcons' offensive line than Jake Matthews. Matthews has been a key starter at left tackle for well over a decade now, and his longevity and consistency don't get enough praise from NFL fans.
Such is the case with offensive linemen, you probably don't know how important this guy is to the complexion of the Falcons. Most of the time when you draft a lineman with a top-10 pick, you're hoping to land a plug-and-play starter for more than a decade, but rarely is that ever the end result.
The 34-year-old has never been truly elite, especially not in recent seasons, but that shouldn't change the conversations around him. He's Atlanta's longest-tenured player, and there are few players that hold as much importance as Jake Matthews does within the Falcons' locker room.
Jake Matthews deserves more credit for what he's done with the Falcons
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has been surveying over 70 NFL scouts, executives, and coaches on the 10 best players in the NFL at every position, and when the offensive tackles got the spotlight, Matthews was nowhere to be found, although he did receive at least one vote, which is better than a total snub.
It's nice to see him get at least some credit, but it isn't enough. The Pro Bowl tackle holds the longest active start streak in the NFL, starting nearly 200 consecutive games without fail. Playing in the NFL for that long without injuries taking a toll is one thing, but continuing to produce is a whole new story.
He may not be Tony Stark, but Dirty Birds see Matthews as their own personal Iron Man. Back in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills, he left the game with a high-ankle sprain, and an injury like that would typically keep a player out multiple weeks. But he managed to start next week against the 49ers, keeping his active start streak going.
Want to hear something crazy? The 2014 first-round pick has such rare durability that he has made 196 of 197 possible starts in his 12-year NFL career. But that's not the icing on the cake, as Jake Matthews has not missed a start since Week 2 of his rookie season--and that was 12 years ago now.
When the new regime needed to move some money around to open up some cap space this offseason, he was content with restructuring his deal. The Texas A&M product is the ultimate team player, and though he's no future Hall of Famer, he's the reason LT has never been an issue in Atlanta.
Jake Matthews may not be cracking top-10 lists, but no one can deny that he's one of the most important players on the Falcons and one of the NFL's most under-appreciated.
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