The Atlanta Falcons made it official on Friday's injury report: Second-year cornerback Kendall Sheffield will not play during Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks due to a foot injury.
Sheffield's foot injury kept him out of practice all throughout the week, and there were high hopes for him heading into training camp. Sheffield isn't the only player who has been ruled out for Sunday; defensive end Charles Harris will also be held out of the game due to an ankle injury. On top of that, rookie defensive tackle Marlon Davidson has been listed as questionable for the game with a knee injury.
Here is the Falcons' injury report from Friday:
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE Dante Fowler | Ankle | Full participation | Full participation | Full participation | N/A |
| C Matt Hennessy | Knee | Full participation | Full participation | Full participation | N/A |
| WR Russell Gage | Groin | Limited participation | Full participation | Full participation | N/A |
| WR Julio Jones | Hamstring | N/A | N/A | Limited participation | N/A |
| WR Olamide Zaccheaus | Hamstring | N/A | N/A | Limited participation | N/A |
| CB A.J. Terrell | Hamstring | N/A | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| DT Marlon Davidson | Knee | Limited participation | Did not participate | Limited participation | Questionable |
| CB Kendall Sheffield | Foot | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Out |
| RB Todd Gurley | Rest | N/A | N/A | Did not participate | N/A |
| G James Carpenter | Rest | N/A | N/A | Did not participate | N/A |
| DE Charles Harris | Ankle | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Out |
Here is the Seahawks' injury report:
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OT Duane Brown | Knee | Limited participation | Did not participate | ||
| OT Cedric Ogbuehi | Pectoral | Limited participation | Limited participation | ||
| WR Phillip Dorsett | Foot | Limited participation | Limited participation | ||
| TE Will Dissly | Achilles | N/A | Limited participation | ||
| OT Jamarco Jones | Illness | N/A | Limited participation |
What it means
Although a number of notable players appeared on the Falcons' Friday injury report, their absence on the game report doesn't indicate anything serious. With Sheffield being ruled out for Sunday, veteran Darqueze Dennard will very likely start at nickel corner for the Falcons, a place he manned for the majority of training camp. While he's listed as questionable, Marlon Davidson would be hard pressed to have a big role on defense even if he is able to play. He missed a good bit of camp with the injury and Dan Quinn has commented about the need for him to improve his conditioning ahead of playing in games.
The downgrading of Seattle starting offensive tackle Duane Brown is notable. If he's unable to play, a unit that already had some question marks heading into the season will have even more, It will provide the Falcons' pass rush an even better opportunity to get to Russell Wilson. Starting tight end Will Dissly being listed with an Achilles injury is also something notable worth monitoring.
