Already down first-round cornerback A.J. Terrell, the Falcons will be without another key cover man Monday night against the Packers. They placed Darqueze Dennard on IR on Tuesday.
Dennard is battling a hamstring injury. The Falcons signed the former Bengals first-round pick late in the offseason and used him as a full-time player over the first three weeks. Dennard, a six-year Bengals contributor, has played 86% of Atlanta’s defensive snaps.
The Falcons still have Terrell on the reserve/COVID-19 list, from which he can be activated ahead of the Packers game. But for now, a Falcons defense that continues to struggle against the pass is down two key performers. The team has yet to see 2019 fourth-round pick Kendall Sheffield play this season because of a foot injury, but Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets the second-year corner is out of a walking boot.
The Falcons followed up their Cowboys collapse by allowing the Bears to erase a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit, adding obvious importance to their game in Green Bay.