Chris Lindstrom is experiencing significant changes within the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line as he enters his seventh season, following a period of rare consistency in the National Football League. The four-time Pro Bowler and former first-round draft pick spoke on May 20 about the adjustments during the team’s second practice of phase III organized team activities.
Lindstrom said, “I joked yesterday; it almost felt like the first day. I almost felt like a rookie out there. 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.” He added that learning new techniques and approaches has been positive but described feeling unsettled at first: “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.”
The Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach in January and brought in Bill Callahan as offensive line coach. Callahan has 24 years of experience and has worked with 14 different Pro Bowlers. Lindstrom said about Callahan, “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. It’s been awesome so far working with him.” The Falcons’ offensive line produced a top-10 rushing attack for four straight years and allowed the fourth-fewest sacks last season.
A major change this offseason was right tackle Kaleb McGary’s retirement after being drafted alongside Lindstrom in 2019. McGary missed last season due to injury but was expected to return before announcing his decision to retire in April. Lindstrom said, “I really love Kaleb, and he felt it was time for him to be done…it’s weird not having Kaleb’s different butt out here doing Kaleb stuff.” To fill McGary’s position, Atlanta signed veteran Jawaan Taylor.
The Atlanta Falcons are based in Atlanta, Georgia; they compete in the NFL’s NFC South division; began as an expansion team in 1965; advanced to two Super Bowls (1998 and 2016); and have Freddie the Falcon as their mascot—all according to their official website.
Despite these transitions around him this offseason—including coaching staff changes—Lindstrom remains focused on growth: “There’s an approach of, no matter how much you play, there’s a different way to do it…So it’s been really good so far.”