Desmond Trufant injury: Star cornerback won’t participate in OTAs

The major injury to Desmond Trufant didn’t cost the Falcons a shot at the Super Bowl, but it’s difficult not to wonder how much better the defense would’ve been with him available, particularly in the biggest game imaginable. They’re not taking any chances with his recovery as they try to return to the Super Bowl in 2017.

This is being framed as a precaution, and there’s no reason to believe otherwise at this point. Trufant was a will-he, won’t-he for injured reserve for a tense couple of weeks before he landed on season-ending injured reserve, and while missing OTAs is a little bit of an unpleasant surprise, he appears to be on track for training camp and then the regular season. There just isn’t a lot of reason to worry at this point.

The Falcons have shown that they have a strong set of cornerbacks to work with no matter how long it takes Trufant to get healthy, but they’re much stronger when one of the league’s best young cornerbacks is available. Trufant is heading for a big extension, as Vaughn McClure reports in the article above, and he’ll be eager to continue to prove he deserves it.