Falcons projected starting offense with player grades

For the second year in a row, the Atlanta Falcons will enter the season with a new starting right tackle. After missing all of 2025 due to a knee injury, Kaleb McGary has decided to retire at the age of 31. The Falcons wasted no time finding a replacement for McGary.

On Friday, the team officially signed former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor to start at right tackle in 2026. While Taylor isn't as strong of a run blocker as McGary, he is a slight upgrade as a pass blocker, which bodes well for lefty quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa.

The Falcons offense should look largely the same next season but there will be a few new faces. Tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson will be joined by Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus and Austin Hooper. However, the quarterback position is still up in the air.

Penix is still rehabbing from an ACL surgery and will have to battle Tagovailoa for the starting job. While Tagovailoa has the experience advantage, I believe Penix has the higher ceiling, assuming he's healthy by Week 1 In our latest Falcons starting lineup projection, we gave the nod to Penix. Check out the team's projected starting offense, including Pro Football Focus grades for each player.