Drake London New Injury Update: Falcons Rookie to Debut vs. Saints?

London's status was updated in Wednesday's injury report - and now comes new news.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 10, 2022

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

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Atlanta Falcons

A move forward seems on the horizon.

Atlanta Falcons rookie wide receiver Drake London has been waiting a long time to live out his dreams of playing in an NFL game, and he could have the opportunity this Sunday in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

London injured his knee in the team's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions and hasn't practiced much until the team transitioned from training camp to regular season prep.

London participated in Monday's practice for the first time since his Aug. 12 injury, and the midweek injury report offered another clue about London's status for Sunday. The rookie from USC was limited in Wednesday's practice, likely for precautionary reasons.

On Saturday night, however, ESPN reported that London is expected to go on Sunday ... much to the delight of Atlanta fans.

Atlanta lost a pair of talented wideouts in back-to-back years, which began by trading Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans in 2021. In March, the NFL indefinitely suspended the Falcons' top receiver in Calvin Ridley for illegal betting. With those two gone, London should be at the top of the depth chart when it's released later this week.

London notched 2,153 yards on 160 catches to go along with 15 touchdowns during his three-year stint with the USC Trojans.

He's expected to be Marcus Mariota's top target this season, along with tight end Kyle Pitts and former Las Vegas Raiders wideout Bryan Edwards.

The Falcons face the Saints Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Published Sep 10, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.