Carpenter (groin) was back for Sunday's practice, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Carpenter had been dealing with a hip flexor strain since Aug. 4 but rejoined the team Sunday. Expect the lineman to resume his normal starting role at left guard now that he's healthy.
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Falcons' Ty Sambrailo: Dealing with injury
Rotowire
Aug 19, 2019
Sambrailo was sidelined during Sunday's practice due to a sore shoulder, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.
It's unclear how Sambrailo picked up the injury, but it was enough to sideline him from practice. In his stead, Matt Gono started on the first-team offensive line during practice.
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Falcons' Kaleb McGary: Individual drills on tap
Rotowire
4H ago
McGary (chest) will participate in individual work this week, but hasn't been cleared for contact, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
This is positive news for the team and McGary, as he works back from a "minimally invasive" heart procedure he underwent in late July. It's still too early to tell if the rookie will be ready for Week 1, as typically past instances of this surgery have sidelined him six to eight weeks. It's a step in the right direction, but expect the team to be cautious with their 2019 first-round draft pick, and update his status as the season nears.
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Falcons' Kenjon Barner: Back at practice
Rotowire
2H ago
Barner (undisclosed) was back in full pads for Sunday's practice, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.
Barner was forced to sit out Thursday's preseason game against the Jets and had been dealing with an undisclosed injury for the past week. Now that he's back for practice, expect him to see a bulk of the work on punt- and kick-return units.
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Falcons' Jaeden Graham: Impressive game against Gang Green
Rotowire
2D ago
Graham hauled in four of five targets, while logging a game-high 55 receiving yards during Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets.
Graham flashed some serious agility in Thursday's matchup, catching a Matt Simms pass and leaping defender Kacy Rodgers II en route to a 30-yard gain for Atlanta. With Eric Saubert traded to New England on Monday, Graham is currently chasing Logan Paulsen for the No. 3 tight end job. Graham isn't the experienced run blocker that Paulsen is, but may offer more receiving upside, with at least two catches in each of his three preseason appearances to this point.
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Falcons' Matt Simms: Turnover issues apparent
Rotowire
2D ago
Simms completed nine of 19 attempts for 85 yards, committing one interception and losing two fumbles during Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets.
Playing against his former team -- the only franchise for which he's logged regular-season playing time -- Simms struggled throughout the second half of Thursday's exhibition as Atlanta dropped its 11th straight preseason contest. The 30-year-old signal caller was able to lead the Falcons into field-goal range on his second drive, but from there the offense's results on the subsequent five possessions were punt, fumble, punt, fumble, pick-six. Simms looks to bounce back in the "dress rehearsal" game Thursday against Washingotn.
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Falcons' Giorgio Tavecchio: Preseason woes persist
Rotowire
2D ago
Tavecchio converted on his lone point-after try, but missed two of his three field-goal attempts during Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets.
Tavecchio's first attempt came on the Falcons' opening offensive drive, a 52-yard try that faded right after New York's Henry Anderson deflected the ball at the line. The 27-year-old Tavecchio converted on his next attempt of 24 yards, but missed another 52-yarder later in the contest. The post-Matt Bryant Era is off to a shaky start, with Tavecchio going 4-for-7 on field-goal tries to this point in the preseason.
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Falcons' Damontae Kazee: Dodges bone fracture
Rotowire
2D ago
Kazee (ribs) exited Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets with an injury, but avoided any broken bones and is considered day-to-day, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
After enduring 13 games last season without Keanu Neal (knee-ACL) or Ricardo Allen (Achilles) available to play, it was a haunting sight to behold Kazee attempting to rush off the field, only to fall to the ground with an apparent rib injury. He planted Robby Anderson on his chest while executing a third-down tackle, and did not return to action after being shuffled to the locker room by trainers. Thankfully for Atlanta, Friday examinations indicated that the 2018 NFL interception leader has a chance to recover in time for the team's Week 1 matchup against Minnesota.
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Falcons' Jamon Brown: Early lead in competition
Rotowire
2D ago
Brown (hamstring) is the early leader to start at left guard with James Carpenter (hip) nursing an injury, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Now fully recovered from his hamstring injury, Brown is receiving the majority of reps with the first team with Carpenter sidelined. Carpenter's injury is not expected to be long-term, so Atlanta's competition at left guard will likely resume in the coming weeks.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Returns to action Thursday
Rotowire
2D ago
Allen (Achilles) had two assisted tackles in Thursday's preseason game against the Jets.
Allen eased his way into training camp, as he was recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in Week 3 last season. However, he started at safety Thursday and appears good to go. The 27-year-old started 45 of 48 games over his first three seasons and figures to play a significant role at the back end of the Falcons' secondary in 2019.
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Falcons' Mohamed Sanu: Returns from sore knee
Rotowire
2D ago
Sanu (knee) started Thursday's preseason loss to the Jets, finishing without a catch on one target.
Sanu apparently made a quick recovery from the knee injury that limited his practice participation at the beginning of the week. He's locked in for regular snaps on offense, though Calvin Ridley could take over a larger share of the targets in his second pro season.
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Falcons' Marcus Green: Returns from hamstring injury
Rotowire
2D ago
Green (hamstring) returned two kicks for 39 yards, three punts for 18 yards and failed to catch his lone target in Thursday's preseason game against the Jets.
Green missed the preseason opener after suffering the hamstring injury at the start of August, but he's good to go after a brief recovery. The 23-year-old will likely need to make an impact as a returner to have a real chance of making the 53-man roster.
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Falcons' Matt Ryan: Roughed up in preseason debut
Rotowire
2D ago
Ryan completed 10 of 14 pass attempts for 118 yards, adding two rushes for three yards during Thursday's 22-10 preseason loss to the Jets.
Despite his offensive line being a figurative sieve for much of the evening, Ryan exhibited expert awareness at times in maneuvering around and out of the pocket to keep plays alive. The 2016 NFL MVP did what he could, but still absorbed three sacks in less than a half of play, at one point immediately rising to his feet and barking at Wes Schweitzer for allowing Avery Williamson (knee) to bull-rush him and record a third-down sack with minimal resistance. He had two "gimme" touchdown passes on his final drive of the game, each of which was dropped -- on consecutive plays -- by Brian Hill and Justin Hardy.
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Falcons' Keanu Neal: Plays in first game since ACL tear
Rotowire
3D ago
Neal (knee-ACL) started for the Falcons and registered three tackles during Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets.
Thursday night marked Neal's return to live action, his first time suiting up for a game since suffering a torn ACL in Atlanta's Week 1 loss to Philadelphia last September. There's still ground to make up in order to recover his Pro Bowl form, but Neal just getting back on the field is a calming presence for this Falcons secondary. Neal served as a formidable last line of defense for the Atlanta defense between 2016 and 2017, recording an absurd (given his position) 218 tackles through his first two years in the league. He's also a player who knows how to lay the lumber and induce turnovers, generating a combined eight forced fumbles over those two seasons.
Grace recorded six total tackles during Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets.
Falcons radio play-by-play commentators Wes Durham and Dave Archer marveled over the body of work that Grace has put on film during the preseason, and noted that he's done enough to this point to keep his name in consideration for a roster spot. Grace has accumulated a team-high 16 tackles in exhibition outings against the Broncos, Dolphins and Jets, while also accounting for half a sack and a 19-yard interception return.
Falcons' Calvin Ridley: Looks good in limited action
Rotowire
2D ago
Ridley caught both of his targets for 28 yards during Thursday's 22-10 preseason loss to the Jets.
Ridley's participation in this contests suggests he's fully recovered from his late-July hamstring injury. Both of his catches came on Atlanta's opening drive. After flashing immense talent with 10 touchdowns as a rookie, the 2018 first-rounder is looking to find more game-to-game consistency in Year 2.
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Falcons' Desmond Trufant: Makes two third-down stops
Rotowire
2D ago
Trufant (back) recorded five tackles, including one tackle for loss, during Atlanta's 22-10 loss to the Jets on Thursday.
Since suffering a back strain, Trufant has become increasingly involved in practice over the past two weeks, and Thursday's preseason showing should be considered another step in the right direction from a health standpoint. The former Pro Bowl cornerback cost his team with a pass interference penalty while in coverage on Deonte Thompson, but he also made third-down tackles to force punts on a pair of second-quarter drives for the Jets.
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Falcons' Qadree Ollison: Plays well against Jets
Rotowire
2D ago
Ollison rushed nine times for a game-high 44 yards and failed to catch either of his two targets during Thursday's 22-10 preseason loss to the Jets.
Ollison got the biggest workload of any Falcons running back and made the most of it, showing why he remains the favorite to secure the third spot on Atlanta's depth chart over Brian Hill, who managed just 12 yards on four carries in this one. Ollison isn't out of the woods yet, however, with two more weeks left in preseason.
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Falcons' Brian Hill: Quiet against Jets
Rotowire
2D ago
Hill rushed four times for 12 yards and failed to haul in his lone target during Thursday's 22-10 preseason loss to the Jets.
Hill's momentum came to a grinding halt in this one, as he was soundly outplayed by both Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison in Atlanta's backfield. While Hill could still supplant Ollison as Atlanta's No. 3 running back, he can't afford another clunker like this over the final two weeks of preseason.
