The Atlanta Falcons made a surprising move and placed outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. on the injured reserve Friday.
Fowler, who did not practice all week, went down in Week 5 with a knee injury against the New York Jets and Week 6’s bye week just wasn’t enough to recover.
We have placed Dante Fowler on IR. t.co/9jUbCESXCD
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Who Replaces Fowler?
Losing Fowler against the Miami Dolphins is a big loss for the Falcons’ defense as he was en route for a turnaround season by having 2 sacks, two forced fumbles and he was leading the team in pressures through the first five games.
So, who replaces Fowler now? Head coach Arthur Smith answered that question on Friday.
“It’s not necessarily next man up. That’s the old conventional wisdom,” Smith said via ESPN. “Like, you know, you go into these things and maybe some people do it like that, but I always kind of, ‘Oh, you got this guy out, you got your depth chart out.’ That’s the beauty of coaching and how to problem solve.
“If you want to go one-for-one, OK, good for you, but we got a lot of ways to fill holes. It’s next man up in theory, but there’s a lot of different ways you can plan things and attack, so that’s kind of how we look at it.”
The Falcons could go in a few directions here. The “next man up” would be rookie Adetokunbo Ogundeji, however, they also have veterans Jacob Tuioti-Mariner and Brandon Copeland they could turn to.
Falcons Fans React to Fowler Landing on the IR
The Fowler news came by surprise for many as the team waited until Friday to put the veteran edge rusher on the IR, so naturally, fans took to Twitter to express their emotions over the loss.
He was compared to Vick Beasley, the former Falcons defensive end who was always injured:
Vick 2.0
— 𝓔𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓲 𝓣𝓪𝓽𝓮 (@evilkitten00) October 22, 2021
But, not so fast:
Unlike Beasley, he took a pay cut his final year here
— Scott Carasik (@CarasikS) October 22, 2021
Of course, a Dolphins fan had to put his two cents in:
E Z dub for Miami
— Dolphinmaniac (@ThePhinsAreIn) October 22, 2021
It is a sad story for both Fowler and cornerback A.J. Oliver, who was placed on the injured reserve two weeks ago:
Damn didn’t even realize he was hurt. Him and Oliver both injured just as they start to play super well😢
— Mason (@CupaJoe__) October 22, 2021
No worries though, Landon Gossett is confident he can fill the vacant spot on the line:
Guys don’t worry. I’m gonna replace him. I’m about to get 12 sacks 💪💪💪 yall can thank me later
— Landon Gossett (@landon_gossett) October 22, 2021
And Fowler was just getting started…
He’s been hella disruptive. Hopefully someone picks up the slack. Big loss anyway 🤦♂️
— Wozzy‼️ (@Redzoomski) October 22, 2021
Fowler is set to miss at least the next three games, which has him returning in Week 10 when the Falcons take on the Dallas Cowboys on the road.
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Falcons Fans React to Starting Edge Landing on IR