Atlanta Falcons: Chris Chester is Likely to Retire

It was recently leaked that the Atlanta Falcons soon expect Chris Chester to announce his retirement. If that is the case the Falcons will have a big hole on their offensive line to fill.

Chris Chester was a big part of an Atlanta Falcons offensive line (no pun intended) that had a lot to do with the Falcons Super Bowl trip. With Chester likely to retire now one of the strongest units on the Falcons roster is going to have to find a replacement.

It seems likely that if Chester does retire as expected that the Falcons will look to address the hole on the offensive line through the draft or in house. The limited cap space that the Falcons have left will likely be spent shoring up the defense and not on an offense that led the league in scoring.

The reigning MVP (Matt Ryan) will have the benefit of having the same unit back with a few minor exceptions. Chris Chester is the expected one bit loss that could hurt the team. Hugh Thorten is one name that the Falcons have added that could be a factor in replacing Chris Chester.

Thorten was part of a less than impressive unit in Indianapolis who seemed to celebrate a successful play anytime it didn’t end with Andrew Luck sacked or thrown to the ground. Adding an offensive lineman from the Colts to replace Chris Chester is a iffy move at best.

With the Falcons expected to focus on growing their defense early on in the draft it is fair to wonder if they will attempt to draft an offensive lineman to compete with Thorten. With the limited offensive lineman depth on their current roster it is hard to see another valid replacement option for Chester.

Next: Braves Off-season Targets

Falcons fans have to be holding out some hope that Chester will change his mind and return to the Falcons for the 2017 season.