Update: Damontae Kazee Suffers Torn Achilles
For the third season in a row, The Falcons appear to have suffered a season-ending injury in the secondary. This time it's Damontae Kazee.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN is reporting that Kazee has suffered a torn Achilles. The four-year vet was carted off the field in the second quarter of Monday's game against the Green Bay Packers.
So far this season, he has recorded 20 tackles and forced a fumble. Kazee has been targeted three times in coverage and allowed two completions for 25 yards. Even with Keanu Neal's return this year, Kazee has played 241 defensive snaps.
Kazee has turned into a contributor for the Falcons secondary over the past three years. After starting his career at cornerback, he transitioned to safety due to injuries. In 2018, he led the league in interceptions with seven and followed it up the next season with three. Kazee is in a contract year.
The Falcons are extremely thin at secondary now, Neal(hamstring) and Ricardo Allen(elbow) missed Monday’s game with injuries, and it is unclear when they will return with neither one participating in practice last week.
The team selected Jaylinn Hawkins in the fourth round of the draft this year as insurance, and he got the start Monday, but he would leave the game to be evaluated for a head injury. His injury leaves the Falcons extremely thin at that position, so they could be looking to make a move to add some depth soon.