Falcons Place OL Chuma Edoga on IR; WR Jared Bernhardt to Return?

Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith delivered several injury updates surrounding the left guard position, plus the return of preseason star receiver Jared Bernhardt.

The Atlanta Falcons have made a plethora of roster moves ahead of Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith announced that offensive lineman Chuma Edoga has been placed on injured reserve, bringing his first season in Atlanta to an early end.

Edoga received the start at left guard in the Falcons' last win - a Week 11 victory over the Chicago Bears - but sustained a knee injury and has been inactive ever since.

Conversely, Smith revealed that Edoga's roster spot could go to backup center and left guard Matt Hennessy, who's been on injured reserve since Week 9 with a knee injury of his own. Atlanta's second-year coach said it ultimately comes down to how well Hennessy progresses throughout this week at practice.

Hennessy's window to return has been open since Dec. 12, and if he's not activated by next Monday, he'll officially be done for the year, though that would only knock him out of the season finale as Atlanta's already been eliminated from playoff contention.

But the left guard injury updates didn't stop there, as Smith said the Falcons have designated sixth-round rookie Justin Shaffer to return from injured reserve, opening up his 21-day window and allowing him to practice. Shaffer, a starter on the Georgia Bulldogs' National Championship team a season ago, was let go during the final round of preseason cuts but quickly re-signed to Atlanta's practice squad.

Departing the offensive line but sticking with the rookie theme, Smith shared that the Falcons have opened undrafted receiver Jared Bernhardt's 21-day window to return from injured reserve, giving him the chance to return to practice over the season's final two weeks.

The Falcons (5-10) are set to host the Cardinals (4-11) at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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