Breaking: Deion Jones to injured reserve with a foot injury

The bad news continues to pile up for the Falcons, as the team has just announced that star linebacker Deion Jones has been placed on injured reserve.

Jones has been dealing with a foot injury since the opener against the Eagles, and we now know that it will keep him out for quite some time.

Coach Dan Quinn said that tests after Thursday’s game in Philadelphia revealed an injury that requires an as-yet undisclosed procedure, but that the team is hopeful Jones will return at some point this season. Quinn did not provide specifics regarding either the injury or his potential return date.

We are bummed for Deion, but we do expect to get him back at some point this season. He represents all that we are looking for in a Falcon player, and while he will not be on the field for us right now, he will continue to have a presence in our building.

This is the last news the Atlanta Falcons wanted to hear right on the heels of Keanu Neal’s season-ending knee injury, as now they will be without two of their most impactful young defenders. To say this is a blow to the defense is a massive understatement, and it won’t be clear for some time how the Falcons choose to address the now glaring hole at middle linebacker.

Jones is coming off of his first Pro Bowl season, a year where he officially put the NFL on notice, notching 91 solo tackles and three interceptions. ProFootball Focus considers him one of the best coverage linebackers in the league today, and he was primed to build on that reputation in his third year.

The Falcons are now without their first and second-round picks in 2016’s NFL Draft, and a promising season has quickly been tossed into a state of flux. The questions will be answered in the days to come, but for now we want to extend our best wishes to Deion Jones, and hope he’s back in the near future.