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On Saturday Oct. 9 the Atlanta Falcons made a handful of roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
That includes elevating wide receiver Juwan Green and cornerback Chris Williamson to the active/inactive roster. Green’s elevation comes in response to starting wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage not making the trip to England, with Ridley missing the game due to a personal matter and Gage nursing an ankle injury. Green, 23, spent the 2020 season on Atlanta’s practice squad. This summer the University of Albany product had three catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in the team’s final preseason game vs. the Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile, Williamson’s presence is necessary because the Falcons need bodies in the defensive backfield. Not only did nickel back Isaiah Oliver suffer a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 against Washington, cornerback Avery Williams (hamstring) and safety Erik Harris (calf) are both listed as doubtful to play against the Jets. It’s certainly lousy timing for Williams to be laboring with a hamstring right now, as he was a potential option to step in for Oliver.
Kendall Sheffield Activated Off Injured Reserve
The Falcons also hope to get help from cornerback Kendall Sheffield—5-foot-10, 212 pounds—who started the season on the Reserve/Injured list, having been hampered by a hamstring injury during training camp.
Sheffield, 25, has been practicing for the past two weeks in anticipation of returning to the active roster. The former 2019 fourth-round pick (Ohio State) has appeared in 29 games for the Falcons over the past two seasons (20 starts), during which time he has been credited with 97 total tackles, this according to Pro Football Reference. But despite playing 1,225 defensive snaps thus far in his career, he has yet to record an interception and has been responsible for just six passes defensed and a pair of forced fumbles.
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Parker Hesse Has Been Waived
In one other move from Saturday, the Falcons waived tight end Parker Hesse, who spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons on the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans.
The Falcons acquired Hesse—6-foot-3 and 261 pounds—in mid-May. He played a total of 24 snaps during the first two weeks of the season and had one pass thrown in his direction.
Sunday’s Contest is a ‘Home’ Game for the Falcons
The Falcons (1-3) are designated as the home team for Sunday’s contest against the New York Jets (1-3). Kickoff is at 9:30 ET at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, which was purpose-built to readily accommodate NFL games—or an NFL team.
Per the UK’s Evening-Standard, the Jets-Falcons game will take place on an artificial turf field that is housed below the grass surface utilized by the Spurs, the Premier League team that calls Tottenham Hotspur home.
After Sunday’s game, the Falcons will have a bye week. Atlanta returns to action on Sunday Oct. 24 when the Falcons travel to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for a date with the Dolphins.
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