The Atlanta Falcons will face Green Bay without the player their defensive coordinator called the best boundary cornerback in football.
Atlanta placed A.J. Terrell Jr. on injured reserve Tuesday because of the groin injury he sustained during Sunday's loss to Carolina. The designation requires Terrell to miss at least four games, beginning with Thursday night's trip to face the Packers.
That turns an already demanding short week into a significant test of Atlanta's secondary depth. Terrell normally handles the type of outside assignment that allows a defense to shape coverage elsewhere. Without him, the Falcons must decide whether to keep C.J. Henderson outside opposite Mike Hughes or move rookie Avieon Terrell from the slot to the boundary.
The injury changed during Sunday's game
Terrell left the Carolina game in the first quarter. The Falcons initially evaluated him for a concussion and cleared him after testing, but he was later ruled out with the groin injury. Henderson played the rest of the game in his place.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich publicly backed Henderson after the game and praised the depth he has provided. That confidence now has to translate quickly. Green Bay has had only a few days to prepare, but Atlanta has had the same compressed window to rebuild a major piece of its coverage plan.
The loss extends beyond one matchup. Four games is a meaningful portion of the NFL season, and injured reserve guarantees that Atlanta will have to live with this arrangement rather than treating Thursday as a one night patch. Terrell can return only after the minimum absence and after the club opens his practice window.
Atlanta made a corresponding roster move
The Falcons signed defensive lineman Zach Harrison from the practice squad to the active roster when they placed Terrell on injured reserve. Harrison cleared waivers after final roster cuts and remained with the organization.
The club also released center James Brockermeyer from the practice squad and signed offensive tackle Colby Sorsdal. Those moves give Atlanta additional line depth during a week in which recovery time is limited.
Why the timing matters
The Falcons are trying to reset after a difficult loss while restoring Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback. A healthy Terrell would have given the defense a dependable anchor while the offense worked through that transition. Instead, Atlanta must manage two major changes at once.
The immediate question is whether Henderson can hold up outside without forcing the Falcons to simplify the rest of the secondary. If he can, Atlanta may preserve much of its normal structure. If he struggles, the Packers can dictate matchups and make the absence of Terrell the central feature of the game.
This is not simply an injury to a recognizable name. It removes the defender who gives Atlanta the most freedom in coverage, and it does so just before a road game with almost no extra preparation time.
*Featured image: A.J. Terrell with the Atlanta Falcons. Image by the Atlanta Falcons, released under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.*