FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons officially acquired offensive tackle Michael Jerrell in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks Wednesday.
According to a report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Falcons sent a conditional 2027 seventh-round draft pick to Seattle as part of the deal. It's a move intended to bolster an offensive line impacted by recent injuries.
The Seahawks drafted Jerrell in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He appeared in 10 games as a rookie with three starts, including his first career start in Week 7 against the Falcons. In total, he took 250 offensive snaps, 39% of the unit's total during those games. According to PFF, all but five of those snaps came at right tackle. He allowed three sacks.
Atlanta's starting right tackle, Kaleb McGary, sustained a leg injury during the final practice of training camp. On Tuesday, in the midst of roster cuts, the Falcons placed McGary on injured reserve. He will miss an entire season for the first time in his six-year career.
McGary's backup, swing tackle Storm Norton, did not participate in practice for the majority of training camp with what Morris called a lower-body injury. During the final week of camp, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Norton underwent ankle injury and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Norton was one of two players the Falcons placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, meaning he begins the season on IR and must miss a minimum of four games before the team can open his 21-day practice window.
Offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson filled in for McGary during 11-on-11 work in the final camp practice, but he did not play in the third preseason game as a precautionary measure because of the mounting injuries. In that game, rookie Jack Nelson and 2024 free-agent signing Brandon Parker took the majority of the offensive snaps at tackle.
On Tuesday, the Falcons announced their initial roster, which included eight offensive linemen. The addition of Jerrell bumps that number up to nine ahead of the Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
