Getty Former Detroit Lions No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah left training camp practice on a cart for the Atlanta Falcons on August 4.
The Detroit Lions shipped former No. 3 overall pick and cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. With the Falcons, Okudah was seeking a fresh start.
Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, that fresh start in Atlanta may be short lived.
The Falcons announced that Okudah left practice on August 4 via a cart. He suffered a right ankle injury while covering wide receiver Frank Darby in 1-on-1 drills.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith told reporters that Okudah will undergo an MRI.
“I’m going to say this because of the way information travels. Sometimes you have to be mindful of people’s families, loved ones and friends,” Smith said. “If bad information gets out, and the guy’s parents are looking at it or the wife or whomever. But you really just never know until you get an MRI.
“Guys get carted off, and there are all kinds of ridiculous rumors, then the guy’s okay. I just won’t know until he gets an MRI.”
Falcons HC Arthur Smith on CB Jeff Okudah:
The Lions traded Okudah to the Falcons for a 2023 fifth-round pick on April 11. Detroit dealt that pick to the Green Bay Packers to move up a few spots in the second round and draft cornerback Brian Branch.
Former Lions CB Jeff Okudah Suffers Another Injury
Unfortunately, Okudah is familiar with the injury bug. He sat out 25 games because of various ailments in three seasons with the Lions.
After Detroit selected him at No. 3 overall in the 2020 NFL draft, he suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss Week 1 of his rookie season. He finished the campaign on injured reserve because of a core muscle injury.
In 2021, he sustained a ruptured Achilles tendon in Week 1, which placed him on injured reserve for the last 16 games.
Okudah was able to stay relatively healthy last season. He missed one game with a concussion and the season finale because of an elbow injury.
In 25 games with the Lions, Okudah had 124 combined tackles, including 6 tackles for loss, 10 pass defenses and 2 interceptions. He returned his lone pick from last season for a touchdown.
Falcons Players ‘Took a Knee’ for Jeff Okudah: Report
Okudah hasn’t even been on the Falcons for four months, but his injury on August 4 appeared to have a significant impact on his teammates.
WSBTV’s David Hickox posted a video on Twitter of “the entire Falcons secondary” taking a knee and saying a pray for Okudah after he left on the cart.
After a word from Head Coach Arthur Smith the #Falcons entire secondary took a knee and said a prayer after CB Jeff Okudah was carted off the field #DirtyBirds
Smith has remained hopeful that an MRI will show Okudah’s injury is not serious.
“The journey is not over,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, Jeff has had some injuries. And I say this all the time, sometimes it’s not just physical rehab; it’s mental. There are a lot of obstacles you have to overcome. We’re mindful of that. Hopefully we get good news out of the MRI, and then we’ll just take it from there.”
Okudah started 15 games for the Lions last season. Detroit signed veteran cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency this offseason to help replace Okudah.
Gardner-Johnson left Lions training camp practice on a cart on July 24 after he was unable to place pressure on one of his legs. But an MRI revealed no structural damage, and Gardner-Johnson has returned to practice.
Perhaps Okudah will experience the same good fortune.