Rookie Report: A.J. Terrell Leads Rookie Charge In Dallas

How did the first years perform on Sunday?

Pull those blinds. There are some rays of sunshine to unpack from the Atlanta Falcons’ (debacle) loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Falcons got some production on defense from two of their rookies.

First round pick A.J. Terrell was the highlight of the rookie class on Sunday. Terrell earned the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any Falcon defender.

Terrell graded out at a 79.8 in the Falcons’ loss.

He was targeted three times and allowed two receptions for only seven yards. It didn’t save the team or the defense. Terrell had five total tackles, four of which were solo.

The Cowboys rolled up 570 yards of total offense after trailing the entire game.

Mykal Walker played much more than he did in week one after Foyesade Oluokon left the game with an injury in the second quarter.

Walker had seven total tackles. Four of those tackles were solo. Walker was beaten a few times in coverage that, but they only yielded short gains by the Cowboys’ offense.

It is unknown at the time of Oluokon’s status for week three. Walker’s snaps could increase based on the matchup with the Chicago Bears.

The Falcons went with two-linebacker looks and occasionally single-linebacker lineups for much of Sunday’s game.

Jaylinn Hawkins, a fourth round pick out of California, again played on special teams, but did not record a tackle as he did in week one.

Ricardo Allen suffered an injury in Sunday’s game and could be limited at least this week in practice. With Damontae Kazee, Keanu Neal, Sharrod Neasman as the only other safeties healthy, Hawkins could see some more action in the three safety sets the Falcons have shown the last two weeks.

Seventh round selection Sterling Hofrichter is showing why he broke camp as the team’s punter in his first season. In four punts on Sunday Hofrichter averaged 39.5 yards and dropped one punt inside the 20 yard line.

Matt Hennessy didn’t appear on offense on Sunday. There’s nothing much to report on him.

Second round draft pick Marlon Davidson didn’t play after returning to practice late last week. Davidson could be a candidate to make his debut on Sunday after getting a full week of practice and conditioning under him.

He would be a solid add to the defensive line rotation that could be missing Takk McKinley after he suffered a groin injury in Dallas.

Other Ways To Follow Us

Join the Falcon Report Community!

Subscribe to the Dirty Birds Podcast! Available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram!

Like and Follow Falcon Report on Facebook