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Remember when Atlanta's star cornerback Desmond Trufant was just day to day with a non-descript shoulder injury? Those were the times. Bask in those sweet times for the next few seconds.
ESPN's Adam Schefter explains why fans have been waiting weeks for a day-to-day injury to heal up, and his sources indicate this will be a disaster for Dan Quinn's defense.
Big loss: Falcons CB Desmond Trufant has a torn pectoral expected to require-season ending surgery, per sources.... https://t.co/g5LGbqk9P2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 27, 2016
The Falcons' Communications Department also tweeted out this update, and multiple reports have indicated a possible four month timeline for recovery, which would put Trufant on track to return during training camp at the latest. That's one silver lining in an otherwise dark morning.
CB Desmond Trufant has another doctor's appointment scheduled for this week and could have season-ending surgery as early as this week.
— Falcons Comm Dept. (@FalconsComm) November 27, 2016
This is a major blow, obviously. The Falcons will be relying heavily on Robert Alford, Jalen Collins, and Brian Poole, and won't have the luxury of quarterbacks ignoring their top options because Trufant is covering them. Everyone across the defense is going to have to step up to prevent an already struggling defense from getting any worse.
The Atlanta Falcons have relied on their offense to put up points, but Trufant has consistently been their top player on other side of the ball. Some young players have emerged, but losing a Pro Bowl corner will severely hurt an already struggling secondary.
Atlanta's defense has floundered in the bottom of the league, but perhaps the likes of Robert Alford and Jalen Collins can fill in for Trufant. If I were to guess, they would start on the outside with Brian Poole filling in at the nickel for the rest of the season. It's a downgrade when you can't put one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL on the field, and the only saving grace may be that the Falcons aren't facing a ton of great passing offenses the rest of the way.