Getty mari Cooper #19 of the Dallas Cowboys carries the ball against A.J. Terrell #24 of the Atlanta Falcons and Darqueze Dennard #34 of the Atlanta Falcons.
With a team that continues to receive negative news, some positive came to light on Thursday for the Atlanta Falcons and fans. The positive was that rookie and starting cornerback A.J. Terrell had officially been removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list and returned to the active roster.
We have activated CB AJ Terrell off of the reserve/COVID-19 list.
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If he has been able to stay in shape over the past few weeks then he should be good to go on Sunday when Atlanta hosts the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Perfect Timing
Terrell is returning at the perfect time as Atlanta’s secondary continues to get banged up week after week.
Falcons safety Domantae Kazee will miss the remainder of the 2020 NFL season with an Achilles injury. Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal are still recovering from injuries of their own, and veteran CB Darqueze Dennard still remains on IR with the injury he suffered in Week 3 against the Bears.
With Kendall Sheffield back on the roster and A.J. Terrell playing opposite him, it’s possible we could finally see some of this “revamped” defense come to life after a horrible first four weeks.
Terrell Tests Positive for COVID-19
The team was not allowed to confirm if Terrell has tested positive for COVID-19 and cannot say how long Terrell could be quarantined but an inside source told ESPN’s Vaughn McClure that the rookie had a positive test result.
Terrell was ruled out right before Atlanta’s loss to the Chicago Bears. Atlanta had also ruled out Allen with a hyperextended elbow and projected starting cornerback Kendall Sheffield, who had yet to play while recovering from a foot injury.
Isaiah Oliver started at one outside corner position for the Falcons and the team looked to look to veteran Blidi Wreh-Wilson for the other outside corner spot. Wreh-Wilson started outside at corner last year when former starter Desmond Trufant was injured.
The Falcons also entered the Bear’s game with a some key injuries, including star wide receiver Julio Jones being questionable due to a hamstring strain who didn’t play a single snap.
Four other Falcons were listed as questionable: starting right tackle Kaleb McGary (MCL), starting defensive ends Dante Fowler Jr. (ankle) and Takk McKinley (groin), and starting linebacker Foye Oluokun (hamstring). Matt Gono replaced McGary, but now all are back in as normal starters.
Falcons Take on Carolina
The Falcons might be a little more relieved to see Carolina on the menu this week. Though the 0-4 Falcons can’t seem to find a way to win, they always do against Carolina. In their past nine games against the Panthers, the Falcons are 8-1.
The Falcons continue to confuse fans and analysts by having a fire but winless offense. Things ultimately come down to Dan Quinn who is just inches away from the end of an era.
As for Carolina, new head coach Matt Ruhle is figuring it out. After their 0-2 start, the Panthers have won the last two games even without their primary weapon in Christian McCaffrey. Their young revamped defense looks solid and Teddy Bridgewater has morphed into a real starting quarterback throwing three touchdowns in three of four games.
The Falcons do, however, have their new No. 1 option Calvin Ridley back in the game after an ankle injury. Ridley, who had 3 consecutive 100-yard games, couldn’t catch the ball against the Packers and will get his momentum back this week at home. Even the “washed-up” Todd Gurley is gaining yards and keep the Falcons about water.
Atlanta can win if they finally figure out how to put their talent together, but ultimately this is a battle of offenses and which weak defense can hold the other.
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