Prior to the Falcons’ Week 9 showdown with the Chargers, the team had some unfortunate news for all of us. Elijah Wilkinson was placed on the injured reserve on Saturday after being ruled out for Sunday’s contest.Â
Falcons officially announce Cordarrelle Patterson is back from IT. Also signed DL Jalen Dalton to the 53-man roster.
Atlanta put starting LG Elijah Wilkinson on IR and released OLB Quinton Bell.
S Jovante Moffatt & OL Ryan Neuzil PS elevations
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) November 5, 2022
The IR stint means Wilkinson will be out at least four weeks and will be eligible to return on Dec. 4 as the Falcons host the Steelers in Week 13. In his absence, the Falcons rolled with Matt Hennessy, who had some bright and not-so-bright moments.
When Wilkinson missed Atlanta’s contest against Seattle in Week 3 due to a personal matter, Colby Gossett got the nod and performed admirably. The veteran actually got the call on Sunday, too, when Hennessy went down with a lower-body injury. Moving forward, I’d expect Gossett to be the starter, but this loss isn’t one to scoff at; it could be a bigger deal than you think.
The move was followed by a flurry of other roster moves, including releasing Quinton Bell and elevating Jovante Moffatt and Ryan Neuzil from the practice squad. After beginning the season with injury luck, the Falcons have been bitten in recent weeks by the bug. Despite Cordarrelle Patterson returning from the IR, the Falcons have been missing AJ Terrell and Casey Hayward, and it’s shown. The Falcons’ defense desperately needs its best players on the field.
We’ll see how the Falcons approach Thursday’s primetime contest against the Panthers, but I’d expect Gossett to get the start.
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Photographer: Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire
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