The Falcons have been hit by the injury bug in the trenches.
Drew Dalman has been on the injured reserve for over a month. Kaleb McGary has missed time, while the guard duo of Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron have been banged up.
Defensively, Lorenzo Carter remains on the IR, and rookie second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro is joining him, the club announced on Friday.
The Clemson product injured his ankle in Atlanta’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. He hasn’t played much this season, being a healthy scratch for the first month. He’s a plus run defender with room to grow as a pass rusher, so suffice to say, this is discouraging for a player the Falcons traded up for in the second round.
If he’s to miss extended time, that would mean the Falcons three highest drafted players — Michael Penix Jr., Ruke Orhorhoro, and Bralen Trice — essentially redshirted their rookie seasons. That doesn’t even consider Atlanta’s fourth-rounder Brandon Dorlus, who has yet to make his regular season debut.
In a corresponding move, the Falcons have signed Rashaan Evans to the 53-man roster, giving the defense more depth at the linebacker position. JD Bertrand has already been ruled out, and Troy Andersen is questionable after missing four games.
Evans joined the Falcons prior to the 2022 season and started every single game for the club that season, leading the team with a career-high 159 tackles to go along with six tackles for a loss, four pass breakups, two sacks and two fumble recoveries.
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