Gosder Cherilus: A Fit With The Atlanta Falcons?
By John Buhler
This afternoon former Indianapolis Colts RT Gosder Cherilus ended up getting released from his five-year deal with the Colts after two consecutive down seasons in Indy. He signed a lucrative deal with the Colts after five promising years with the Detroit Lions to help protect franchise QB Andrew Luck on the offensive line. At 6’7”, 315 lbs., should the Atlanta Falcons look into acquiring the veteran free agent right tackle?
-= Related: Should The Atlanta Falcons Sign Evan Mathis? =-
Though Gosder Cherilus didn’t meet expectations with the Colts, he could help bolster an Atlanta Falcons offensive line that still has uncertainty at right tackle. It looks like a two-man battle for the starting job at RT for the Dirty Birds in Lamar Holmes and Ryan Schraeder. Given Cherilus’ experience as an NFL starter (100 games at RT between Detroit and Indianapolis), he could come across as an upgrade on the right side for Atlanta.
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I’d feel confident with the right side of the Falcons’ offensive line with Jon Asamoah at right guard, next to Gosder Cherilus at right tackle. But then again, maybe Cherilus is too big to thrive in Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme. Also the recent string of injuries to Cherilus are a concern and remind me a bit of former Atlanta Falcon LT Sam Baker.
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff wouldn’t have to overpay for Cherilus’ services in the manner that Indianapolis did to pry him away from Detroit. So Atlanta could perceivably put together a team-friendly deal and sign Gosder Cherilus to a one or two-year deal if LG Evan Mathis signs elsewhere before training camp.
Even with a smart two-year deal, this seems like a high-risk, medium-reward type of signing for the Atlanta Falcons. I still think that the organization likes what they have in Holmes and Schraeder. They might also want to see what rookie swing tackle Jake Rodgers can do on the outside too in training camp, potentially making the 53-man roster.
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Though I would definitely like to see significant upgrades on the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line, I see left guard as a more pressing issue than right tackle for the Dirty Birds entering 2015 NFL Training Camp.
With a little wiggle room under the salary cap, Atlanta should proceed with caution in courting Cherilus and put most of its focus on re-signing WR Julio Jones to a long-term deal and/or bring Evan Mathis to Atlanta for the next two seasons.
Unless Gosder Cherilus is a perfect scheme for Chris Morgan’s offensive line in Shanahan’s ZBS, I highly recommend spending money elsewhere than at right tackle this summer.
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