The Falcons signed Dexter to a four-year, $78 million contract extension Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Atlanta acquired Dexter via a trade with the Bears back in August, and now the team will have him under contract through the 2030 season. Through three games in 2026, he has recorded seven tackles (two solo) including 0.5 sacks and a pass defensed.
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Falcons' Jessie Bates: Tallies four tackles in Week 3 win
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Bates recorded four tackles (one solo) and one pass defense during the Falcons' 35-14 victory over the Packers on Thursday.
Bates played 65 of 66 defensive snaps during Thursday's win, though interestingly, he has yet to play every single defensive snap through three regular-season games after doing so 16 times last year. The veteran safety leads the Falcons with 17 total tackles, with his eight solo stops being fourth-most on the team.
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Falcons' Xavier Watts: Picks off Love in Week 3 win
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Watts recorded five tackles (three solo) and one interception during Thursday's 35-14 win over the Packers.
The Falcons put together an all-around performance for their first win of the season, with Watts putting the finishing touches on the victory by picking off Jordan Love within the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. Watts, a third-round selection of the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft, finished his rookie season with five interceptions, tied for second-most in the league behind Kevin Byard (seven). Watts has 16 tackles (10 solo), one interception and one forced fumble through the first three games of the 2026 regular season.
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Falcons' Billy Bowman: Cleared to play in Week 3
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Bowman (Achilles) is available for Thursday's game versus the Packers.
Bowman sustained a season-ending Achilles injury ahead of the Week 12 meeting with the Saints during the 2025 campaign. It's unknown if the 23-year-old will be eased back into action. However, Bowman's return, even if it's in a limited capacity, couldn't come at a better time, considering A.J. Terrell (groin) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. The 2025 No. 118 overall pick finished his inaugural year by accruing 26 total tackles (15 solo), 1.5 sacks, one interception and one pass defended in six regular-season games.
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Falcons' Billy Bowman: Questionable for Thursday
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Bowman (Achilles) is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game at Green Bay, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Atlanta only held a walkthrough practice Wednesday, but Bowman was estimated as a full participant, so it seems he's trending in a positive direction ahead of Thursday's contest. If he's not able to make his 2026 debut in Week 3, however, rookie second-rounder Avieon Terrell could continue to see an expanded role in the secondary.
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Darren Hall: Tryout with New England
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The Patriots hosted Hall (undisclosed) for a tryout Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Hall was let go from the Falcons with an injury settlement Sept. 8. The safety is now healthy and could garner a spot on the Patriots' practice squad as they search for additional depth to offset the absences of Craig Woodson (shoulder) and Dell Pettus (ankle).
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Falcons' Zach Harrison: Signed to active roster
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The Falcons signed Harrison to the active roster from their practice squad Tuesday, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.
Harrison will rejoin the active roster after having been waived in late August before catching on with the team's practice squad. With Da'Shawn Hand (quadriceps) on injured reserve, Harrison will likely serve as Atlanta's primary rotational defensive end behind LaCale London and Brandon Dorlus.
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Falcons' Brandon Dorlus: Limited in Monday's practice
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Dorlus (thumb) was a limited participant in Monday's estimated practice, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Dorlus was listed as questionable to return after exiting Sunday's loss to the Panthers early with a thumb injury. The starting defensive lineman still appears to be dealing with the issue, but if he continues to log limited or full practice sessions Tuesday and Wednesday, there is a strong chance the 25-year-old will suit up for Thursday night's primetime game against the Packers.
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Falcons' Brandon Dorlus: Exits game with hand injury
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Dorlus (hand) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Panthers, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
It's unclear when Dorlus sustained the injury, but he's being evaluated by medical staff to determine whether he can return. Zach Harrison and Maason Smith are both in line for an uptick in defensive snaps for as long as Dorlus is out of the game.
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Falcons' Samson Ebukam: Won't return Sunday
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Ebukam (hamstring) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Panthers, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Ebukam suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of Sunday's contest that will end his day. The outside linebacker finishes with two tackles, including 0.5 sacks. Jared Ivey and Cameron Thomas are set to share Ebukam's workload for the remainder of the game.
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Falcons' A.J. Terrell: Exits with groin injury
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Terrell (groin) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Panthers, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Terrell was listed as doubtful to return to Sunday's contest after sustaining a groin injury in the first half. The cornerback avoided a concussion, but the groin issue has stuck enough to rule him out for the remainder of the game. C.J. Henderson is set to play outside cornerback for the Falcons secondary in Terrell's absence.
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Falcons' Samson Ebukam: Questionable to return, hamstring issue
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Ebukam (hamstring) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Panthers, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Ebukam suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of Sunday's contest. The starting outside linebacker logged two tackles, including 0.5 sacks, before exiting the game.
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Falcons' A.J. Terrell: Doubtful to return Sunday vs. Carolina
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Terrell is doubtful to return to Sunday's game against the Panthers due to a groin injury, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Terrell was cleared for a concussion, but he was also diagnosed with a groin injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of Sunday's contest. C.J. Henderson will take over at outside corner in Terrell's absence.
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Falcons' Divine Deablo: Iffy to play due to illness
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Deablo was added to the Falcons' injury report and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers due to an illness, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
The 28-year-old linebacker may have felt under the weather upon waking up Sunday, and his availability now looks like it could come down to a game-time decision leading up to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. In the Falcons' Week 1 loss to the Steelers, Deablo played every defensive snap and finished with seven stops and one fumble recovery.
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Falcons' A.J. Terrell: Questionable to play Sunday
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Terrell (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus Carolina.
Terrell didn't practice Wednesday but logged a full session Thursday. However, he was absent again Friday, resulting in a questionable designation. With Billy Bowman (Achilles) already ruled out, Avieon Terrell and C.J. Henderson may be tasked with taking on more prominent roles alongside Mike Hughes.
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Falcons' Billy Bowman: Takes a step back
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Bowman (Achilles) was a limited participant in practice Thursday after participating in full a day earlier, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Bowman passed a physical at the end of training camp, got taken off the active/PUP list and logged limited practices ahead of Week 1, but he still had to sit out of Atlanta's loss to Pittsburgh. The starting slot corner's limited participation Thursday might just be a precaution ahead of Sunday's matchup with Carolina, but if he has to miss the game, Sydney Brown should be in line to step forward in his place.
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Falcons' Da'Shawn Hand: Lands on IR
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The Falcons placed Hand (quadriceps) on injured reserve Wednesday, William McFadden of the team's official site reports.
Hand's move to injured reserve comes as no surprise since it was previously announced that he'd miss the remainder of the season due to a torn quadriceps suffered during the team's Week 1 loss to the Steelers. The 30-year-old played just seven defensive snaps and failed to log any stats before getting hurt and will now shift his focus to getting healthy for the 2027 campaign.
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Falcons' Billy Bowman: Logs full practice Wednesday
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Bowman (Achilles) was a full participant at practice Wednesday, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Bowman sat out Week 1, as he was still recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in November of last year, but it looks like he should end up being available in Week 2. He figures to play a major role in Atlanta's secondary in 2026.
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Falcons' Da'Shawn Hand: Done for season
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Hand suffered a torn quadriceps in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Steelers, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Hand will be forced to miss the remainder of the season while recovering from surgery. In his absence, Maason Smith will have the opportunity to carve out a more significant role for himself on the defensive line with Atlanta.
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Falcons' Za'Darius Smith: Looks likely to play Sunday
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Smith (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers, is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Unless he experiences a setback leading up to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Smith looks set to play through the shoulder issue that kept him from practicing Thursday and limited his participation Wednesday. With Jalon Walker (knee) out for the season and James Pearce suspended for the first eight games of the campaign, the Falcons will be counting on the 34-year-old Smith to serve as a key pass rusher.
