Falcons CB A.J. Terrell Suffers Repeat Injury vs. Bengals; Will He Return?

The Atlanta Falcons were already low on depth at cornerback following several injuries and suffered another key loss early in Sunday's game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell departed last week's 28-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers early due to a hamstring injury and appears to have suffered a similar injury in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Terrell was playing in press-man coverage, carrying a receiver vertically when he came up limping and fell to the turf in a hurry. He immediately received medical attention before walking gingerly off the field.

The 24-year-old All-Pro entered the medical tent shortly thereafter and didn't leave for several minutes. He's been ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Terrell's injury comes at a less than ideal time for the Falcons' defense, as starting corner Casey Hayward was placed on injured reserve earlier this week with a hamstring injury and ruled out fellow corner Dee Alford with a shoulder issue.

With the loss of three corners who've seen significant snaps, the Falcons are down to second-year pro Darren Hall, practice squad elevation Cornell Armstrong and special teams ace Mike Ford to pair with starting nickel Isaiah Oliver - who just returned last week from a season-ending injury in Week 4 of 2021.

Injuries aside, the Falcons' secondary is off to a rough start in Cincinnati, with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hitting receiver Tyler Boyd for a 60-yard touchdown, the first 50-plus yard play Atlanta's defense has allowed under the watch of defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

The Bengals proceeded to score on the drive after Terrell's departure, increasing Atlanta's deficit to 14-0 just 10 minutes into the game.


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Daniel Flick
DANIEL FLICK

Daniel Flick is an accredited NFL writer for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Daniel has provided boots-on-ground coverage at the NFL Combine and from the Atlanta Falcons' headquarters, among other destinations, and contributed to the annual Lindy's Sports Magazine ahead of the 2023 offseason. Daniel is a co-host on the 404TheFalcon podcast and previously wrote for the Around the Block Network and Georgia Sports Hospitality Media.