The Atlanta Falcons have acquired offensive tackle Michael Jerrell from the Seattle Seahawks in a trade announced Wednesday. The deal, first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, involves the Falcons sending a conditional 2027 seventh-round draft pick to Seattle.
This move comes as the Falcons look to address injuries on their offensive line. Jerrell was drafted by the Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and played in 10 games as a rookie, starting three times. His first career start came in Week 7 against Atlanta. Over those appearances, he logged 250 offensive snaps—about 39% of Seattle’s total during those games—with most of his playing time at right tackle. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he allowed three sacks during that span.
The need for depth became more pressing after Atlanta’s starting right tackle, Kaleb McGary, suffered a leg injury during the final practice of training camp and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. This marks the first time McGary will miss an entire season in his six-year career.
Backup swing tackle Storm Norton also missed most of training camp due to what head coach Raheem Morris described as a lower-body injury. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Norton underwent ankle surgery and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. He was placed on injured reserve with designation to return and must miss at least four games before becoming eligible for activation.
Elijah Wilkinson took over McGary’s spot during team drills at camp but did not play in the third preseason game because of ongoing concerns about injuries along the line. In that game, rookie Jack Nelson and free-agent addition Brandon Parker handled most of the work at tackle.
With this trade, Atlanta increases its number of offensive linemen from eight to nine ahead of its Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
