FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — In Chris Lindstrom's seven years with the Atlanta Falcons, he's enjoyed a level of consistency inside his position room that has become increasingly rare in the NFL.
Jake Matthews, the league's premier iron man, has been the only left tackle Lindstrom has ever shared the starting lineup with. Right tackle Kaleb McGary started 81 games beside Lindstrom since 2019. Left guard Matthew Bergeron has missed only two starts in his three years with Atlanta. Even center Ryan Neuzil, who became a full-time starter in 2025, has been with the team since 2022 and started 29 games next to Lindstrom. Before Neuzil, Lindstrom had Drew Dalman, who started 40 games at center from 2022-24.
The stability went beyond the starting lineup, too. For the last five years, Lindstrom has had Dwayne Ledford as his position coach.
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Now, however, is a season of transition for the four-time Pro Bowler and former first-round draft pick.
"I joked yesterday; it almost felt like the first day. I almost felt like a rookie out there," Lindstrom said Tuesday after the Falcons' second practice of phase III of organized team activities. "In the sense of knowing the drill order. I mean, I'd kind of gotten that way of, alright, I know the exact drills [and] knew how to do them.
"With the different changes, it's good learning different stuff and different technique, and the way about it. It's great, though, but I definitely felt like a baby deer for a minute there. I had to get my legs back under me."
When Kevin Stefanski became head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in January, the first outside hire he made for his coaching staff was Bill Callahan, a renowned offensive line coach with 24 years of experience in the role. Callahan has worked with 14 different Pro Bowlers and will now coach an offensive line in Atlanta that has produced a top-10 rushing attack for four straight years and allowed the fourth-fewest sacks in the league last season.
Given the track records of both Callahan and the projected starters on Atlanta's offensive line, there are plenty of reasons to believe this will be a fruitful union.
"Coach Callahan obviously has a great resume and has coached a lot of great players in his time, and a lot of people have a lot of great things to say," Lindstrom said. "It's been awesome so far working with him."
A coaching transition isn't the only change Lindstrom — or the rest of Atlanta's offense — will have to get used to. McGary, his longtime partner on the right side, announced his retirement in April.
Lindstrom and McGary were both selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, entering the league together as a promising pair. They quickly developed into a dominant duo in the run game with Lindstrom proving to be a master of angles and second-level seals and McGary becoming a feared open-field blocker.
McGary missed the 2025 season due to a knee injury but was expected to make a return to the field in 2026 after rehabbing. His decision to leave the sport came as a surprise to Falcons fans and reporters, but McGary made sure to call his longtime partner ahead of time to let him know his intentions.
"I really love Kaleb, and he felt it was time for him to be done," Lindstrom said. "So, as his friend, really just supporting him. And then, being out here with him for seven years, it's kind of weird — Jake [Matthews] and I joked about it — it's weird not having Kaleb's different butt out here doing Kaleb stuff."
Shortly after his retirement, the Falcons signed veteran right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who was selected a mere four spots behind McGary in the 2019 draft. Taylor has started 111 games in his seven seasons and played in two Super Bowls. He is an established player in this league but is still a new factor for Atlanta's offensive line.
In the midst of these transitions, Lindstrom is looking for ways to grow. He is already regarded as one of the NFL's best guards, and the Falcons' offensive line has been a bright spot in recent years, but change has its benefits. He'll get a fresh perspective from Callahan and perhaps learn a technique or two that further enhances his game.
"There's an approach of, no matter how much you play, there's a different way to do it, there's a different way to try it, and so, always being open to trying it," Lindstrom said. "But then, in the same process, I know my strengths, I know my weaknesses. But then, you can also take so much from that technique.
"Then, hearing somebody's opinion of who's watched you across the league, and maybe from a distance, obviously, you would trust their opinion and work on stuff. "So, it's been really good so far."
Lindstrom has been a model of consistency for seven seasons, and despite the changes around him this offseason, that should remain the same.
