Falcons Injury Update: Good News on Key Player

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell left last week's game against the Miami Dolphins and entered concussion protocol.

This was a particularly scary moment for Terrell and the Falcons, because he had already missed Week 3 against the New York Giants after suffering a concussion against Tampa Bay the prior week.

Terrell was limited in practice on Wednesday, but he was listed as a full participant on Thursday. Having Terrell in the secondary is a boost for the Falcons' secondary.

The second-year player out of Clemson has quietly become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and arguably Atlanta's best defensive player.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF.com), Terrell is the only cornerback in the league with 50 or more man-coverage assignments without allowing a catch.

Only CB with 50+ man coverage snaps without allowing a catch

🔒 AJ Terrell 🔒 pic.twitter.com/ok37dddgZo
— PFF (@PFF) October 25, 2021

The Falcons have struggled on the opposite side of Terrell with T.J. Green being cut earlier this week and starter Fabian Moreau ranked as as the 102 out of 112 eligible corners in the NFL.

The Falcons also got rookie cornerback, punt return man Avery Williams back as a full participant. Williams had been nursing a hamstring injury and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus returned punts last week against the Dolphins.

The Falcons will face the Panthers this week and their struggling quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold has been dreadful during Carolina's four-game losing streak.

Darnold has a quarterback rating of 85.5, 44.5, 55.6, and 57.4 in the Panther's last four game. His 77.5 rating for the season puts him 29th in the NFL and last among quarterbacks who aren't rookies.

With edge rusher Dante Fowler out for at least two more games, Terrell becomes even more important. Even a struggling Darnold can find success when given time against a depleted Atlanta secondary.