Falcons Coach Morris: Trice, Hellams Preseason Injuries 'Felt Bad'

Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris offered an injury update on safety DeMarcco Hellams and outside linebacker Bralen Trice after Friday night's preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.

Atlanta Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams was carted off the field Friday against the Miami Dolphins in the preseason opener. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Atlanta Falcons encountered injury misfortune Wednesday when receiver Rondale Moore suffered a non-contact knee ailment that ended his season -- but by halftime of Atlanta's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, misfortune turned into disaster.

After losing an offensive weapon in Moore, Atlanta saw two defensive role players in safety DeMarcco Hellams and outside linebacker Bralen Trice go down with injuries in the first half of Friday night's game at Hard Rock Stadium.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris addressed the injuries in his opening statement following the game, and while he acknowledged the team is still collecting information, his initial reaction was pessimistic.

"We had the two injuries in the game that I know about right now that felt bad," Morris said. "I’ll have a better feel [Saturday] when I get a chance to let the doctor see those guys -- that would be Trice and Hellams both being taken off on the cart.

"We’ll get a better feel with what we've got going on [Saturday]."

Hellams sustained his injury on the second play from scrimmage for Atlanta's defense. Running to his right in pursuit of a quick screen pass to Dolphins receiver River Cracraft, Hellams went down and was writhing in pain before trainers came to his side. He stayed down for several minutes.

The 24-year-old Hellams was eventually helped to his feet with his arms wrapped around a pair of trainers. He was helped to the back of the cart and taken off the field with his lower left leg in an air cast. Teammates came over and embraced him before he was driven to the locker room.

Trice's injury occurred with 26 seconds remaining in the first half. He rolled on the ground in pain for a handful of seconds before receiving medical attention.

The third-round rookie was lifted to his feet and slowly walked to the sideline, putting little pressure on his left leg while placing his arms around Falcons trainers.

Atlanta opened its blue medical tent for Trice, who remained there for the rest of the first half. Once the clock hit zero, he walked slowly to the locker room. His limp, while still present, wasn't as strong as before. Still, he had his right arm around a trainer and was moving noticeably slower than the rest of his teammates.

Neither Hellams nor Trice returned to the game after their departure. Atlanta ultimately lost, 20-13, but the preseason is designed to be a ramp-up period filled with learning lessons for young players -- and Morris, when explaining his motives for playing Hellams and Trice, cited the opportunity to grow as an important factor in the risk versus reward nature of his decision.

"This is the reason why you try to play as least amount of people as you can," Morris said. "DeMarcco being a second-year player, you wanted to give him a little bit of action. He gets hurt really early. And then now having Trice as a rookie, you want to give him some action as an NFL professional player and those things come back to bite you at times.

"It almost makes you not want to, but you know the cost of doing business. You've got to make those decisions and those are heavy on you, all the time, those type of injuries."

The Falcons tried to take precautionary measures by resting 22 players in their preseason opener, but their return home will hold several hobbled athletes nonetheless.

When the Falcons first touched down in Miami on Monday night, they did so with only one player -- running back Robert Burns, who started training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list -- inactive due to injury.

On Tuesday, backup center Ryan Neuzil suffered a calf strain. The day after, Moore went down. And, finally, Hellams and Trice put a sorrowful touch on a costly week for the Falcons.

Now, the biggest question is how expensive the price proves to be -- an answer Morris figures to get Saturday.