The Atlanta Falcons made no secret about their desire to upgrade the offensive line this offseason. After a season in which Matt Ryan was sacked 42 times and sustained 108 hits, sixth-most in the league and a career-high for the Falcon's franchise signal-caller, general manager Thomas Dimitroff knew his team had to make changes up front, especially along the interior offensive line. Mission accomplished.
After signing guards James Carpenter and Jamon Brown, Atlanta's chief decision-maker stressed that their sheer size would make a major difference for an offensive line that routinely allowed pressure up the middle last season.
“We’re real excited about having two big dudes coming in,” Dimitroff said of Carpenter and Brown, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “They are accomplished guys. Have a lot of experience. Both of them fit in at the guard spots for us.”
Carpenter signed a four-year, $21 million deal with the Falcons last week. A first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2011, the 6-foot-5, 321-pounder has started every game he's played in his eight-year career, including a whopping 58 games for the New York Jets over the last four seasons. Carpenter was limited by injury in 2018, playing just 10 games.
Brown, meanwhile, signed a three-year, $18.75 contract with Atlanta last Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 340-pounder was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2015. He started all nine games in which he appeared as a rookie and was a part-time starter across the offensive line in 2016 before settling in as a full-time starter at right guard one year later. Brown was released by the Rams in late October of last season after being beaten out by Austin Blythe and was subsequently picked up by the New York Giants, with whom he started the last eight games of the season.
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