Falcons BREAKING: CB Isaiah Oliver Activated From Injured Reserve
Just over one year removed from a season-ending knee injury, cornerback Isaiah Oliver will be back on the field for the Atlanta Falcons.
After being designated to return from injured reserve prior to the Falcons' Week 5 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oliver has participated in each of Atlanta's practices since, without limitations in the lead-up to this week's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Now, Oliver has been officially activated from injured reserve and added to the Falcons' 53-man roster.
Oliver suffered a knee injury in Atlanta's Week 4 loss to the Washington Commanders last season. The Falcons' defense found life difficult with Oliver in the slot, as defensive coordinator Dean Pees mentioned that not having a player with Oliver's versatility severely limited the deception he was able to throw at opposing offenses.
Last year, the Falcons played rookies Darren Hall, Avery Williams and Richie Grant at nickel in Oliver's place, but none were quite what Atlanta needed. Hall is now a reserve outside corner, Williams a running back and return specialist and Grant back to his more natural position of safety, though he still sees snaps at nickel from time to time.
Filling in for Oliver in this season's first five games have been Mike Ford and Dee Alford, a pair of new faces who've held down the ship and allowed Pees to execute his defense in the manner he wants to.
As such, Pees doesn't anticipate Oliver's return altering Atlanta's defense as much as it would've last year.
"It won't affect anything," stressed Pees. "It won't change how we call the game, it won't affect how we pressure, how we cover. It'll be just getting a good player back."
Without Oliver, Pees felt that opposing offenses knew which corners were capable of blitzers and which ones weren't, or that maybe one was better in man coverage while the other was better in zone.
But with the veteran Ford and offseason standout Alford holding their own, the nickel spot is as steady - and competitive - as ever.
"It's been good, it's been by committee a little bit," said Pees, on Ford and Alford filling in. "Mike's been doing a good job, Dee's been doing a good job. There will be competition with Isaiah coming back, so we'll figure what's the best thing to do with the guys that are involved. We'll ask them to do things that they do well."
It seemed likely that Oliver would quickly reclaim his starting spot, but with Alford making a game-winning interception against the Cleveland Browns and Ford providing solid play (especially on special teams), his path back to the top of the depth chart may be less straightforward than initially believed.
Perhaps more importantly is that the Falcons don't quite know if Oliver is capable of doing all of the things he thrived at pre-injury.
"Some guys are better cover guys, some guys are better blitzers, some guys are in better in zone," Pees said. "Did I think Isaiah could do (all of those things) a year ago before he got hurt? Yes. Do I think he can do it now? I don't know. If he can't, we've still got two guys that are playing very well."
With a week and a half of practice in the rearview mirror, the Falcons should have a good idea of where Oliver's at - but won't truly know until he hits the field on Sunday.
Atlanta, with Oliver back in the fold, and San Francisco kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
Get your HOTlanta Falcons game tickets from SI Tickets ... here!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.
Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.
