One of the reasons why the Falcons’ offensive line struggled so much during the 2013 season was the knee injury suffered by left tackle Sam Baker.
Baker played just four games and wasn’t particularly effective when he was in the lineup before finally being shut down for the year. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports that Baker had platelet rich plasma treatment on his left patellar tendon, but wound up having surgery after it didn’t work. General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said that the team expects Baker to be fully recovered in time for next season.
“We’re confident that Sam is going to be ready to go,” Dimitroff said. “And we expect him to return to the form that he was in 2012.”
A return to form would be a welcome development in Atlanta, but it bears watching to see if Baker stays at left tackle. With the sixth pick, the Falcons could select Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews or Taylor Lewan and shift Baker to right tackle. Dimitroff left the door open to that possibility, although it’s awfully premature to think about how the Falcons might line up in Week One given all of the options that will be available to them in the next few months.