Jawaan Taylor Reclaims Falcons' Starting Right Tackle Job

Atlanta's updated depth chart makes it official: Jawaan Taylor is the Falcons' starting right tackle. Just a week ago that spot belonged to Michael Jerrell, who now slots in as the No. 2. The 28-year-old Taylor, a 2019 second-round pick who spent four seasons in Jacksonville and three in Kansas City, has climbed the ladder exactly as expected since signing in April.

This was always the plan. The Falcons brought Taylor in after right tackle Kaleb McGary retired this offseason, and he was penciled in as the starter from day one. The only real question was health — Taylor was working back from an elbow injury suffered last year with the Chiefs, the same team that cut him loose in March before Atlanta scooped him up a month later.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski has been complimentary of Taylor's approach, noting he put in serious work learning the Falcons' scheme even before he was cleared to practice. That kind of prep matters for a lineman joining a new system on the fly, and it clearly paid off with him leapfrogging Jerrell on the chart.

The Fantasy Fallout

Let's be clear: offensive tackles don't score fantasy points, so nobody's rushing to add Taylor to a lineup. But the ripple effects are real. A settled, veteran right tackle protects Atlanta's passing game and clears running lanes — good news if you're rostering the Falcons' quarterback, top wideout or lead back. Line continuity in Week 1 is worth more than most managers give it credit for.

The flip side is Jerrell, who loses the starting reps and any sneaky camp-battle intrigue that came with them. He's off the radar entirely now, a pure injury-contingency name.

For fantasy purposes, treat this as a quiet green light rather than a headline move. If you own Atlanta skill players, the news nudges their floor up a touch by shoring up the protection. Taylor himself is a watch-and-forget in redraft leagues — monitor his elbow through the preseason, but there's no action to take on him directly.