Getty Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons calls a play vs. 49ers
The Atlanta Falcons have been dealing with injuries in their starting lineup over the past several weeks, especially in their secondary.
The team lost starting cornerback Casey Hayward to injured reserve due to a shoulder injury earlier last month. Now for the second straight week, the team will be without his opposing wingman, A.J. Terrell, who has been absent from practice all week as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury.
Terrell sustained the injury during in Atlanta’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. He then missed Week 8’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
Falcons rule AJ Terrell and Elijah Wilkinson out vs. chargers. Will make a decision on Cordarrelle Patterson tomorrow per Arthur Smith.
Another key player who has been out this week is starting left guard Elijah Wilkinson as he nurses a knee injury. Wilkinson will also not play on Sunday.
The good news is, safety Jaylinn Hawkins returned to practice in full from concussion protocol and running back Cordarrelle Patterson returned from injured reserve. The team plans to make their decision on Patterson tomorrow, per head coach Arthur Smith.
The first-place Falcons are on tap to take on the Los Angeles Chargers at home this Sunday with kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
Falcons Trade for Secondary Help
With the Falcons taking multiple blows to their secondary, the team made a trade on Monday. They brought in former Kansas City Chiefs corner Rashad Fenton and sent a seventh-round pick to KC.
Fenton opened the 2022 season as a starter for Kansas City, but a hamstring injury caused him to miss the last two weeks. Because of this, the Chiefs were able to see what rookie cornerback Joshua Williams could do and seemed to be pleased with what they saw as they let Fenton go.
Fenton, who joined the Chiefs in 2019 as a sixth-round pick out of the University of South Carolina, is playing out the final year of his rookie contract. He appeared in 47 regular-season games with 16 starts with Kansas City and was a part of the team’s Super Bowl-winning team in 2020.
With the new addition of Fenton, Dee Alford and Cornell Armstrong fall back on the depth chart, which puts Fenton right behind A.J. Terrell.
Matt Hennessy Taking Reps at LG
It has not been confirmed yet, but Falcons backup center Matt Hennessy could slide into the starting left guard position on Sunday.
Typically, second-year guard Jalen Mayfield would be the one to take over at left guard, but he remains on injured reserve.
Hennessy has been the one taking reps at left guard in Wilkinson’s absence for two days straight, according to multiple reports. Hennessy lost his starting center job to Drew Dalman over the offseason. He has seen limited action through five games this season and has past experience playing at guard.
Another name that is up in the air is starting at left guard is Colby Gossett. Gossett filed Wilkinson’s void back in Week 3 when the Falcons beat the Seahawks 27-23. It’s also worth noting that was Cordarelle Patterson’s best game of the season, so with his potential return on Sunday, Gossett might be the good luck charm they need.