The Atlanta Falcons' offensive line suffered another blow Sunday when the team placed offensive tackle Mike Johnson on season-ending injured reserve.
Johnson suffered a foot injury during the first quarter of the Falcons' preseason loss against the Titans on Saturday night.
The news out of Atlanta is especially bad considering the Falcons lost left tackle Sam Baker to a season-ending knee injury earlier in the preseason. Johnson was expected to to be the team's swing tackle and also be a top backup at guard. But now Mike Smith will have to shuffle the deck on the offensive line.
Atlanta will now have to move forward with a makeshift line to protect quarterback Matt Ryan. The good news is the Falcons used their No. 6 overall pick on offensive tackle Jake Matthews. The rookie tackle will be expected to protect the blindside of Atlanta's franchise quarterback.
Matthews and the rest of the Falcons' offensive line will be tested early and often by opposing NFL teams from here on out.
