The Falcons will have a new starter at right guard in the 2017 season.
Chris Chester’s contract expired after the Super Bowl and he won’t be signing a new one with Atlanta or any other team. Chester told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com that he will be retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL.
The decision doesn’t come as a surprise as the team was aware that Chester was mulling the end of his playing days. They signed former Colt Hugh Thornton to go with 2016 reserves Ben Garland and Wes Schweitzer and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said the draft features “some guys that can be beneficial to teams and can help shore up the interior.”
Chester entered the league as a Ravens second-round pick and spent five years in Baltimore before moving on for four years in Washington and two years in Atlanta. He started 143 games over the course of his career with the three teams.
