Matthews had his fifth-year option exercised by the Falcons on Tuesday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Matthews was a first-round pick in 2014, and the picked-up option will keep him in Atlanta through the 2018 season. The tackle was an intricate part of a Falcons offense that averaged 415.8 total yards per game in 2016, good for second best in the NFL. However, Atlanta did surrender 2.4 quarterback sacks per game last season, which ranks bottom-ten in the NFL, so Matthews and the rest of the offensive line will look to sure up their pass protection this coming season.