Falcons reportedly expect Matt Bryant to kick Sunday, but we won’t know for sure until Friday

We got a good old-fashioned scare earlier this week when we learned that Matt Bryant wasn’t practicing, but the good news is that it appears the veteran kicker will be set to go, assuming his back feels good tomorrow. Hopefully a little rest is all he needed.

This is obviously excellent news, because Bryant remains one of the NFL’s most reliable kickers, and it’s impossible not to live in fear of Mike Meyer missing a critical field goal because he’s a young, unproven kicker, no matter how good he looked in preseason. It’s also good news because a back ailment is very obviously something a kicker can’t just merrily play through if it’s significant, and Bryant is now 42 years old. Exercising caution with these kinds of injuries--and having a backup plan--is just common sense.

If Bryant isn’t able to go, the Falcons will have to get Meyer on the active roster, which will require a corresponding move. My best guess is that you’d see either Blidi Wreh-Wilson or Jermaine Grace temporarily heading out if that’s the case, but let’s hope it’s not. Once he tests his back and leg tomorrow, we’ll hopefully have confirmation that Bryant will be in action against the Dolphins.