Getty Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball as he is tackled by Cornell Armstrong of the Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons signed veteran cornerback Cornell Armstrong to the active roster on Saturday, ahead of Week 8’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
Armstrong on Tap for First NFL Start
With the Falcons down both top corners in Casey Hayward (injured reserve) and A.J. Terrell (hamstring), Armstrong is on tap for his first NFL career start after five seasons of being in the league.
The Falcons elevated Armstrong from the practice squad against the Bengals last week where he logged eight tackles and one pass breakup.
Forced to keep up with Bengals’ top Ja’Marr Chase, Armstrong’s first real task for Atlanta was anything but easy. It was a clear, uneven matchup with Chase finishing the day with 130 receiving yards on eight catches and two touchdowns. Hall and Oliver didn’t do any better in coverage as Tyler Boyd finished the game with a score and 155 receiving yards on eight catches and Tee Higgins was just seven yards shy of a 100-yard day.
In total, the Falcons allowed 537 yards to Cincy.
“He did fine,” Atlanta’s secondary coach Jon Hoke said of Armstrong’s performance vs. Cincinnati, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC. “He did some really, really good things. He did fine. He was in position. … We’ll just clean up the technique. He’s a competitor. He’ll bounce back. He’s that type of guy. We’re excited to see how he moves forward.”
Armstrong spent the end of the preseason on IR and was waived with an injury settlement before re-signing with the Falcons earlier this month. His injury actually gave Dee Alford a better shot at making the 53-man roster.
The Falcons initially signed Armstrong to their practice squad in December of last year after losing starting right cornerback Fabian Moreau to a hamstring injury in Week 13, however, Armstrong was never promoted to the active roster.
After spending his career as a journeyman, Armstrong could potentially continue to make a case for a more permanent role as the Falcons face Carolina.
“I’ve been praying for this moment for the last two years,” Armstrong said last Sunday. “I’ve been cut, released, put back on the team, released again and this team gave me another opportunity. I really don’t look at it like that. (I cherish) every moment and then on to the next.”
Falcons Elevate Two Players
In addition to signing Armstrong, the Falcons elevated two other defenders: safety Jovante Moffatt and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton.
Moffatt joined the Falcons last month. He originally entered the NFL after signing with the Cleveland Browns following the 2020 NFL Draft out of Middle Tennessee State. Over the last two seasons, the 25-year-old safety logged 10 total tackles (five solo) through 14 games for Cleveland.
Moffatt has yet to see any field action in 2022 for Atlanta, however, that could change with Jaylinn Hawkins ruled out with a concussion.
As for Dalton, he went undrafted out of North Carolina following the 2019 NFL Draft before the Chicago Bears picked him up. More recently, he had a short stint with the New Orleans Saints before signing with the Falcons back in June.
Due to injury woes, Dalton has yet to appear in a regular-season game.
Before entering the league, Dalton logged 93 total tackles (46 solo), 15 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 38 games over four seasons as a Tar Heel.