24 A.J. Terrell CB

Terrell, who collected two tackles and a pass deflection during Atlanta's 44-27 Week 17 loss to the Buccaneers, ended the 2020 season with 74 tackles, seven pass deflections, three forced fumbles and an interception.

Terrell started in all 14 of his game appearances after Atlanta selected him 16th overall in last April's draft. The Clemson standout surrendered six touchdowns and a passer rating of 109.6 over 106 coverage targets this season, but he provided value in other areas of his game. The rookie's three forced fumbles ranked second on the team behind only Foyesade Oluokun, while his seven pass breakups represented a high among Falcons defenders this season. As a whole, Atlanta's defense aims to improve upon a 32nd-place finish against the pass, with continued improvement from Terrell playing a key role in that vision.

Terrell registered one tackle and one pass deflection during Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Chiefs.

With the Falcons leading 14-10 at the 2:07 mark of the fourth quarter, Terrell had a pristine opportunity to intercept Patrick Mahomes for a potential game-clinching interception. Terrell got both hands on the ball as he fell backward in the end zone, but he couldn't secure it and the pass fell incomplete. The subsequent play, Mahomes would deliver a 25-yard go-ahead touchdown strike to Demarcus Robinson. Atlanta drops to a record of 2-8 in one-possession games this season, having suffered four straight defeats by five points or fewer.

Terrell collected his first career interception along with a team-high seven tackles during Sunday's 40-23 win against the Vikings.

The first-round rookie had been a full-time contributor in his first three appearances of the season entering Sunday, playing at least 98 percent of the defensive snaps Weeks 1, 2 and 5. Results hadn't translated in the early going, as Terrell allowed 11 of 12 targets thrown his way to go for completions, surrendering 129 yards and a touchdown on those plays. Sunday he notched his first NFL takeaway, as the Falcons intercepted Kirk Cousins on three occasions. Terrell has missed two games this season while on the reserve-COVID-19 list, but now that he's been able to string together a pair of appearances, perhaps the rookie will settle into a groove under interim head coach Raheem Morris.

Terrell has been activated from the Falcons' reserve/COVID-19 list.

Terrell recorded 11 tackles in his first two NFL games before being placed on the list. The No. 16 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft figures to start at cornerback for the Falcons opposite Isaiah Oliver in his return to action Sunday against the Panthers.

Terrell (illness) is present at Atlanta's facilities for team meetings Wednesday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Terrell still has to clear some additional protocols and officially come off the reserve/COVID-19 list, but it looks as though he has a chance to be available as early as Sunday's game against the Panthers. The rookie first-round pick has missed back-to-back contests since testing positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 26.

Terrell (reserve/COVID-19 list) will not be active for Monday night's game against the Packers, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The 2020 No. 16 overall draft pick has remained out since first testing positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 26, and he'll now miss his second consecutive outing. Atlanta will also be without veteran cornerback Darqueze Dennard (hamstring) for a matchup against Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay, leaving Kendall Sheffield, Isaiah Oliver and Blidi Wreh-Wilson as the top three available CBs for the Falcons' bottom-three pass defense (350.3 yards allowed per game).

Terrell has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after his test from Friday came back positive, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

This explains Terrell's absence from Saturday's walkthrough. He becomes the first NFL player to miss a game because of COVID-19. He was on the field for all 82 defensive snaps in last week's loss to the Cowboys, so the team will have to look at some other options in the secondary as a result.

Terrell (hamstring) will play in Sunday's game versus the Seahawks, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Terrell was limited in practice Thursday and Friday, but there's no concern about his availability for Sunday's matchup. The rookie first-rounder draws a difficult NFL debut with Russell Wilson under center for Seattle, as Terrell will be responsible for covering either Tyler Lockett or DK Metcalf.

Terrell was limited in Thursday's practice due to a hamstring injury, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Terrell wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report, so he may have sustained his hamstring injury during Thursday's session. The rookie first-round pick looks primed to start against Seattle on Sunday, if healthy, so his participation in Friday's practice will be worth monitoring.

Terrell is "looking and playing like a No. 1 corner" in training camp, Matthew Tabeek of the Falcons' official site reports.

Results certainly have potential to change once the bright lights come on Week 1, but Terrell is so far bringing a newfound confidence to the Falcons' cornerback group. He did struggle mightily in coverage against Ja'Marr Chase during Clemson's national title loss to LSU in January, but otherwise Terrell helped lead the Tigers to a 29-1 record across two years as a starter, while establishing himself as one of the premier defensive backs in the nation. Terrell must, of course, prove his abilities during the regular season for Atlanta's first-round investment to become a profitable one, but it is at least encouraging that he is holding his own against receivers of Julio Jones' and Calvin Ridley's caliber in practice.

Terrell signed his four-year, $14.31 million rookie contract with the Falcons on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The first-round draft choice became the final member of Atlanta's 2020 draft class to sign, joining five fellow Falcons rookies by inking a deal that includes $7.96 million in signing bonus cash. Terrell is expected to immediately compete for a starting role alongside cornerbacks Isaiah Oliver and Kendall Sheffield, providing Atlanta with one of the more youthful secondaries in all the NFL. An abbreviated training camp certainly will not help Terrell acclimate in the early going, but he and the rest of Atlanta's defense is benefited by the fact that there isn't an inter-divisional matchup against Drew Brees or Tom Brady until Week 11.

The Falcons selected Terrell in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 16th overall.

A flood of reports surfaced in the days before the draft indicating that the Falcons were dead set on trading up for fellow corner CJ Henderson, who the Jaguars selected ninth overall. The Falcons were evidently unable to secure the trade up necessary to acquire Henderson, so they settled for Terrell instead. A standout corner on Clemson's strong pass defense, Terrell (6-foot-1, 195) is big and toolsy for a corner (4.42-second 40), so he at least has athleticism to work with.