Jake Matthews Injury: Rookie Tackle Doesn't Practice Wednesday, Status Uncertain Vs. Bengals

Jake Matthews did not practice Wednesday, putting his status for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals in doubt.

You'll recall that Matthews left the Saints game with an ankle injury, and while we're not entirely clear on the nature of that injury beyond the dread high ankle sprain, an MRI came back clean. It's likely relatively mild, but even Falcons fans with short memories are well aware of Roddy White's struggles coming back from a high ankle sprain in 2013.

Speaking of Roddy, he was listed as a limited participant with a knee injury. We don't know exactly what he's dealing with, either, but the team is likely just being cautious with their #2 receiver.

The Falcons are likely to prioritize the long term with their promising rookie, which means Matthews is likely to sit out if there's any question at all about aggravating it, which there likely is. The Falcons will probably designate him as questionable just to play the usual brand of mind games with the Bengals, but I fully expect to see Gabe Carimi out there at left tackle against the Bengals. That's not great news for the offense, particularly against a tough Cincinnati front seven, but the Bengals are banged up too.

How banged up? Stud linebacker Vontaze Burfict didn't practice today, stud defensive tackle Geno Atkins didn't practice today, tight end Tyler Eifert wound up on short-term injured reserve and even A.J. Green was limited at practice today. The Falcons may wind up catching a bit of a break.

We'll monitor Matthews' status all week and see where he's at come Friday.