Falcons RB Devonta Freeman out 2 to 3 weeks with knee contusion

Are you tired of hearing bad injury news about the Falcons? Well, too bad, because on Saturday we got some more. Running back Devonta Freeman is expected to miss two to three weeks with a knee contusion, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Freeman was held out of practice during the week leading up to Atlanta’s Week 2 matchup with the Falcons’ NFC South rival, the Carolina Panthers. Now we know for sure that we won’t see Freeman on the field for the next couple of weeks, at least.

Freeman had just six carries for 36 yards against the Eagles in the Falcons’ Week 1 loss. He caught three balls for 14 yards.

This makes three Pro Bowlers sidelined by injury following that Week 1 loss. Strong safety Keanu Neal is out for the season with an ACL tear, and linebacker Deion Jones will be out at least until Week 10 with a foot injury that required surgical repair.

It’s a blow for a Falcons offense that faces division rivals in back-to-back weeks, with the Panthers visiting Atlanta on Sunday and the Saints coming to town in Week 3.

We’re taking the news in stride here at The Falcoholic.

Atlanta still has Tevin Coleman, obviously, and he’s a back who could be a starter on a whole lot of NFL rosters. Ito Smith, the rookie selected by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Southern Miss, is third on the depth chart. The team also activated Brian Hill, the team’s 2017 fifth rounder out of Wyoming, to the 53-man roster this week to round out the depth chart. I probably don’t need to explain to you that it’s better to have two starting-caliber running backs and one OK one in your rotation than one starting-caliber guy and two OK players.

If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that Devonta should be back in relatively short order. Based on the timeframe Schefter mentioned, let’s hope Devonta will be on the field when the Falcons take on the Steelers in Week 4. Here’s hoping for a speedy and full recovery.