Falcons Top Receiving Corps Remain Questionable vs. Packers

Falcons

Getty Calvin Ridley #18, Matt Ryan #2, and Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons top receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley remain questionable but are heading in the right direction for Monday night’s game at Green Bay.

Jones and Ridley practiced all week but were limited in workouts coming off of hamstring and an ankle injury.

Jones said Friday he felt “good” without confirming he was ready for Monday.

“I feel good right now. I definitely feel good,” Jones told ESPN. “I’ve been running really well at practice. But it’s just you don’t know. I’m not 100 percent with anything, but I feel good.”

Jones Taking it Day-to-Day

Jones, who is fighting a hamstring injury, did not practice at all last week and was listed as questionable before being ruled out Sunday. Quinn did add that Jones did some work on the sides with Matt Ryan and that was involved while not actually practicing.

The 31-year-old vet said not playing last week helped him. He also mentioned that he could have played but not to his best ability.

“When you have soft-tissue, it’s like a day-to-day thing,” Jones said via ESPN. “You just really gotta feel it out. So you don’t know. You’re really uncertain with it. But I feel good. Just working just a little bit here and there every day; just building confidence and just getting the strength and everything back.”

In his last game, Jones had two catches for 24 yards against the Cowboys and said the hamstring affected him while running. If you watched the game, you could tell Jones was struggling to get up from tackles and limping on the sidelines.

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Other Starters Rule Out

Atlanta ruled out four players including starting safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen, starting defensive end Takk McKinley and kicker Younghoe Koo.

McKinley and Koo are nursing groin injuries, Allen hyperextended his left elbow and Neal injured his left hamstring against the Bears.

The Falcons signed Elliot Fry this week and plan to activate him from the practice squad.

Fry has yet to make his debut in an NFL game but has spent time with the Bears, Ravens, Panthers, and Buccaneers.

Atlanta’s secondary will be short-handed with rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell on the reserve/COVID-19 list after last week’s positive test, veteran Darqueze Dennard on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and Neal and Allen out.

Some Good News

Some good news to look at prior to the Packers matchup is that receiver Russell Gage has been clear to play coming off of a concussion.Behind the top three Falcons targets are Olamide Zaccheaus, Brandon Powell and Christian Blake.

More good news, cornerback Kendall Sheffield will make his 2020 season debut this week after coming off of a foot injury.

To top it off, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (hip), defensive end Dante Fowler (ankle), linebacker Foye Oluokun (hamstring), and right tackle Kaleb McGary (MCL) are all expected to play against the Packers at Lambeau Field.

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