4 hours ago 6

Falcons CB A.J. Terrell is ‘week-to-week’ with hamstring injury

The Atlanta Falcons don’t want to be without top cornerback A.J. Terrell for very long, but a hamstring injury suffered in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings seems likely to knock him out for at least a little while.

Per head coach Raheem Morris, Terrell is “week-to-week” with a hamstring injury. Given this team’s vagueness with injury updates and the inherent vagueness of the term, that could mean Terrell’s back in time for Week 4 against the Commanders, or it could mean he’s set to miss multiple weeks. About the only sure thing is that he’s not going to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers; that’s based less on anything Morris said than my certainty that the Falcons won’t rush a hamstring ailment.

With Terrell out, Morris said there would be an open competition for his role. Dee Alford was his injury fill-in on Sunday night and held up very well in coverage, even if he had some adventures defending the run, and that work on the outside likely gave him a boost with this coaching staff. I’d expect that playing time is a clue and we should see Alford out there as the starter outside on Sunday against the Panthers, though Natrone Brooks, Clark Phillips (if he’s healthy), and CJ Henderson as a practice squad elevation are all reasonable options. Henderson seems like a virtual lock to get the elevation either way if Phillips can’t go Sunday, though he’s probably a longshot to start.

Terrell has been having a tremendous season early on, largely holding Mike Evans and Justin Jefferson in check in a pair of impressive games, so the sooner he gets back the better we’ll all feel about this impressive Falcons defense. In the interim, we’ll likely learn who’s starting by the end of this week.