Falcons Roster Updates: Hayden Hurst to IR

The Falcons have moved tight end Hayden Hurst to injured reserve along with several other roster moves ahead of Patriots game.

The tough season for Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst continues as he was placed on injured reserve by the team on Thursday.

Hurst was held out of practice all week with an ankle injury, but it has been deemed serious enough to keep him out the next three games including Thursday night's contest with the New England Patriots.

Hurst is a free agent at the end of the season, and he's not having the contract year he was hoping for in head coach Arthur Smith's tight end heavy scheme.

He has just 20 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown in nine games after posting 56 catches for 571 yards and six touchdowns, all career highs, in 2020.

While the emergence of Kyle Pitts was sure to make Hurst a secondary target at tight end, his overall season has still been a disappointment. With the absence of receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage for much of the season coupled with the offseason loss of Julio Jones, Hurst should have been a bigger part of the Falcons offense this season.

The fact that he hasn't been, and now finds himself out for at least three games, will significantly hurt Hurst's value going into free agency at the end of the year.

Hurst wasn't the only Falcons to be placed on injured reserve on Thursday. Backup linebacker Daren Bates joined Hurst on the list. Bates has seen action in four games this season, mostly on special teams, and he had three tackles against the Dallas Cowboys last week.

To fill the spots open by Hurst and Bates, the Falcons signed tight end Parker Hesse and linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee to the 53-man active roster.

Hesse is one of several players that have bounced on and off the practice squad this season. He saw action against The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers the first two weeks of the season.

Ellerbe has seen time with several teams since 2018, but he hasn't played in an NFL game since he saw seven games with the LA Chargers and Seattle Seahawks that same season.

There has been no word on running back Cordarrelle Patterson who will be a game-time decision. Patterson was listed as questionable on Wednesday's final injury report and is a critical piece of the Falcons' offense as they prepare to take on the Patriots.