Harvey Dahl's departure to the St Louis Rams means that the Atlanta Falcons will have a new right guard in place on their offensive line this season. Falcon's coach Mike Smith says that there will be an open competition between Garrett Reynolds and Mike Johnson.
"I think it’s going to be very competitive there. It’s an open competition for that spot between (OT) Garrett Reynolds and (OG) Mike Johnson. Both guys have worked extremely hard to get this opportunity."
Johnson was a third round pick by the Falcons in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He spent the entire 2010 season on the inactive list. He played both guard and tackle spots while at Alabama and was selected as an All-American during both his junior and senior seasons. When asked about the competition, Johnson said that it was still too early to start talking about the position battle.
Reynolds was a fifth round selection by the Falcons in the 2009 NFL Draft out of North Carolina and like Johnson, spent all of last season on the inactive list. He did see some action on special teams during his 2009 rookie campaign. Reynolds is a mammoth 6-foot-7 and 317 pounds and has worked primarily at the tackle position during his career.
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