The Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday that defensive end Takk McKinley will be placed on injured reserve after injuring his shoulder early in the team's 29-22 victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn announced Monday that McKinley's injury would be a season-ending one, and this move by the team confirms that. McKinley had come on strong of late, registering three sacks in the three weeks leading up to Sunday's game against the 49ers. Despite having just 3.5 sacks this season, McKinley's effort and physical presence off of the edge has been apparent from the very start and his 13 hits on the quarterback ties him with Grady Jarrett for the most on the team.
In addition to placing McKinley on IR, the Falcons have promoted defensive end Austin Larkin to their active roster. Larkin, 24, began the 2019 season as a member of the Falcons' practice squad after a strong preseason in which he recorded 11 tackles, including two tackles for a loss and a sack. He was previously brought up to the active roster prior to the Falcons' Week 12 game against the Buccaneers.
