The Atlanta Falcons released their first injury report of the season, providing the first glimpse of who might not be available for Sunday's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Atlanta had a few notable players in each distinction of the injury report, and there is one player's status very much worth monitoring. Second-year cornerback Kendall Sheffield was held out of practice due to a foot injury, and ESPN's Vaughn McClure tweeted that he is wearing a walking boot.
Here is the full injury report from Wednesday:
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| DE Dante Fowler | Full participation | Ankle |
| C Matt Hennessy | Full participation | Knee |
| WR Russell Gage | Limited participation | Groin |
| DT Marlon Davidson | Limited participation | Knee |
| CB Kendall Sheffield | Did not participate | Foot |
| DE Charles Harris | Did not participate | Ankle |
What it means
The status of Sheffield is obviously not ideal for Atlanta, but the offseason signing of Darqueze Dennard will help the Falcons weather any absence from the second-year corner. Dennard had been working mostly with the starters as Atlanta's nickel corner throughout training camp. Defensive end Charles Harris was the other player held out of practice, although it's unclear what type of role he was expected to have as part of the defensive line rotation.
Rookie defensive tackle Marlon Davidson missed a good portion of training camp due to his knee injury, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. Coach Dan Quinn has said it might take time for Davidson's conditioning to get to the point where he's ready for serious game action. Slot receiver Russell Gage had a good training camp and is expected to take on a big role on offense in his third season, so his status is one worth monitoring throughout the week ahead of Sunday's game.
Among the full participants, Matt Hennessy is the player worth noting. He had been held out of a few practices due to a knee injury he sustained during the team's third scrimmage, but it appears he's ready to go for Week 1.
