Steelers target from the Falcons: IOL Matt Hennessy
Sticking with the offensive line here, the Falcons have also beefed up their line and seem poised to have an offense similar to the Steelers. They maintained both of their free-agent starters, and they added Matthew Bergeron to fill out the other guard spot. This leaves versatile interior option Matt Hennessy as a potential trade target.
Taken in the third round of the 2020 draft, Hennessy became the defacto center for the Falcons early in his career. The results were middling, as he struggled to truly separate himself as a great blocker. He became more of an interior swingman last season, and unless he beats out Bergeron, that is likely the role he will maintain.
To be clear, the Falcons likely aren’t cutting Hennessy. He is cheap depth that can wear a lot of hats along the line. That said, he could be a potential trade target for a Steelers team lacking a backup center. While the guard depth is relatively deep, the center depth is headlined by Kendrick Green, which isn’t a good thing.
Also interesting to note is that the Steelers reportedly had a lot of interest in Hennesy when he came out. In a report by Tony Pauline, the team was intrigued by both he and Alex Highsmith. Hennessy went far higher than the Steelers picked in the third round, but they landed Highsmith instead for the better. This could be a way to bring him in and shore up the backup center room for this offense.
Others considered: RB Cordarrelle Patterson
While the Falcons are set to be a run-heavy offense, Cordarrelle Patterson may not be with the team. He has an inflated cap hit and is arguably the third option on the depth chart. I wouldn’t trade for him, but if he were released, he would be a viable third running back with some return ability to boot.