The Atlanta Falcons have had the rare luxury of having a cohesive offensive line. The lineup of Jake Matthews, Matt Bergeron, Drew Dalman, Chris Lindstrom, and Kaleb McGary has carried them through the past two years.
However, one key cog is due to hit free agency and the Falcons need to lock him up before other teams can negotiate with him.
Falcons will extend center Drew Dalman before free agency
Drew Dalman is the biggest piece due to hit the open market in March. He has spent his entire career as the team's starter showing stark improvements each year.
It shouldn't be a shock to anyone that Terry Fontenot will put this atop his to-do list as he looks to keep the integrity up front.
Fortunately, Dalman plays a position that won't break the bank. Centers are the lowest paid of the five positions, which means they are generally the easiest to negotiate.
Chiefs center Creed Humphrey has the largest contract at $72 million by far. Dalman can throw hopes of landing that type of money out the window. $50M is more reasonable and would put him in the Frank Ragnow, Lloyd Cushenberry, and Ryan Kelly range.
We may even see the Falcons extend him for much less than that. Just last year the Commanders landed Tyler Biadasz for $30M; that would be a steal for Atlanta.
There is no reason to think the Atlanta Falcons won't come to an agreement soon. He is a valuable piece on an offensive line that you don't want to mess with. Keeping him around for the long haul will only help the development of Michael Penix Jr.