Atlanta Falcons sophomore guard Matthew Bergeron experienced an up-and-down campaign as a rookie. Now better prepared for the challenges the NFL welcomes weekly, Bergeron should experience a breakout season. A revamped Falcons offense should work in his favor.
The No. 39 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bergeron won the starting left guard job after making the transition from offensive tackle. Bergeron proved to be extremely durable. The Syracuse standout was the Falcons' most-snapped player on offense, totaling 1,129 snaps.
Bergeron took his bumps and bruises but also produced enough flashes for there to be optimism that he'll develop into a high-end starter on the offensive line this season. Pro Football Focus tagged Bergeron with allowing 6.0 sacks and 33 pressures en route to a 57.1 pass-blocking grade. Analyzing the game-by-name numbers proved that he enjoyed some terrific stretches, especially as the season wore forward.
Bergeron actually didn’t allow a single pressure in his Week 1 debut versus the Carolina Panthers. He replicated a zero-pressure game on three more occasions, including back-to-back contests versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Panthers again in Weeks 14 and 15. It represented a strong conclusion to Bergeron's rookie season.
There's now a new coaching staff and offensive scheme in place that should greatly benefit Bergeron. Raheem Morris took over for Arthur Smith as head coach earlier this offseason. Morris retained Dwayne Ledford as offensive line coach, even promoting him to run game coordinator as his second duty. Ledford's continued presence should help Bergeron grow in a familiar environment.
The new offensive coordinator is Zac Robinson. Robinson joins the Falcons after being a Sean McVay disciple from 2019 to 2023. He most recently served as the Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and his creative offense should help Atlanta make strides both through the air and on the ground.
Arguably the biggest upgrade that will benefit Bergeron and the entire offense occurred at quarterback. The Falcons got aggressive in free agency, signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract worth $180 million. One day later, previous starting signal-caller Desmond Ridder was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for slot receiver Rondale Moore.
Ridder was the Falcons' primary starter last season, but Taylor Heinicke saw a fair bit of action as well, having attempted 136 passes. Cousins represents an obvious upgrade on both quarterbacks in every area, but there's one in particular that especially impacts Bergeron.
Cousins' average time to throw was just 2.71 seconds last season, per PFF. By comparison, Heinicke was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in this metric, placing seventh-worst among all QBs with 100 minimum dropbacks at 3.03 seconds. Though he improved this past campaign, holding onto the ball has been an issue for Ridder too, as he averaged 3.00 seconds in 2022. Bergeron will appreciate Cousins' elite ability to make efficient decisions with the football.
Offseason changes at quarterback, head coach, and offensive coordinator should make a positive impact on Bergeron's development. Pairing that with the natural growth he should experience heading into year two should make Bergeron a potentially high-end starter this season. A breakout year is on the horizon.