INDIANAPOLIS -- One is 2016 Pro Bowl pick who led the league in sacks a couple years ago but experienced a significant drop-off last season. The other is a son of a Hall of Fame offensive lineman who carries the weight of his family name along with being a first-round pick.
High expectations will follow Atlanta Falcons pass-rusher Vic Beasley Jr. and left tackle Jake Matthews throughout their careers, particularly as top-10 draft selections. If they don't make noticeable impacts moving forward, criticism will follow.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff doesn't see perfection in assessing the value of Matthews, the sixth overall pick in 2014, or Beasley, the eighth overall pick in 2015. But Dimitroff believes both players have made significant contributions and will continue to be key elements to the team's success.
"Anytime you're drafted high, you have high expectations," Dimitroff said. "I think both of them have produced well. And they can continue to produce more and better at times, of course. That's all part of us growing. I know Dan [Quinn], as a head coach, and our staff is really good at appropriately pressing those guys. They both know where their expectations are, and our expectations are for our pillar guys to thrive. And we believe that both will and are getting better and better all the time.
"There will always be, as we all know, dips within careers. And we're very confident that both of those guys are going to thrive as starters and worthy of the picks that we picked them."
Matthews, a son of Bruce Matthews, has started all but one game through four seasons, missing one game as rookie with an ankle sprain and also enduring knee and Lisfranc injuries. Matthews admitted he needed to do a better job standing up to bull rushes, and he's improved in that area. But he's faced scrutiny for not being a dominant, perennial Pro Bowl-caliber player.
The Falcons already picked up Matthews' fifth-year option, meaning he's scheduled to make $12.496 million in 2018 and count that much against the cap. Dimitroff said Matthews is on the list of players the team wishes to sign long term in the near future, along with quarterback Matt Ryan and nose tackle Grady Jarrett. The Falcons already rewarded undrafted right tackle Ryan Schraeder with a five-year, $31.5 million extension that included $12.5 million guaranteed.
The contracts of the league's top 10 offensive tackles average about $12.2 million per year, so the Falcons have to be prepared to pay Matthews in that range if they view him as their left tackle for years to come. Quinn said last year was the best he's seen Matthews play in three seasons.
"We think Jake is a really good left tackle for us," Dimitroff said. "We're confident he'll continue to season and get better and better with each season that he's playing. I felt this season he had a heck of a season. I thought he was really dialed in and focused well. He was healthy, which was a really important part of his game."
As for Beasley, everyone saw his dominant potential two years ago, when he had 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. His speed off the edge was devastating and his counter moves started to come around, with the help of future Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney as a teammate.
But last season, Beasley's production dipped to just five sacks and one forced fumble. He was slowed by an early season hamstring injury. Quinn admitted that having Beasley play both linebacker and defensive end stunted his growth, which is why Quinn said Beasley will play exclusively defensive end going into next season.
The Falcons also plan to pick up Beasley's fifth-year option, which will serve as prelude to awarding Beasley with a long-term deal. Quinn knows Beasley's strengths.
"Our team definitely needs to see him featured in that [dominant] way, and it's the ability for him on the sacks to create turnovers that makes him so unique," Quinn said. "Yeah, we're really pumped about where he can be featured in our system."