Falcons CB A.J. Terrell back in meetings, could return off COVID-19 list this week

The Falcons were dealt a particularly painful blow prior to Week 3’s matchup with the Bears when rookie first-round CB A.J. Terrell was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. At the time, Terrell was the first player to miss an NFL game due to COVID—though many more players have since joined him, and several games have been delayed. Terrell’s surprising loss just before the game was a tough break for a secondary that had struggled mightily through the first two games of the season.

Terrell also missed Week 4’s Monday Night Football matchup with the Packers, but it seems there is some hope for a Week 5 return.

Per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, Terrell returned to the team on Wednesday to attend meetings. He will still need to be officially removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list before being allowed to return to practice, but his presence at the facility—and the placement of Damontae Kazee on IR with no corresponding roster move—suggests that move could occur very soon.

Even if Terrell is taken off the COVID-19 list, it’s hard to say how likely it is for him to be active for Week 5’s game against the Panthers. Much depends on his level of conditioning and whether or not he’s able to practice at all over the next two days. We’ll hope that Terrell is fully healthy and ready to go against Carolina, as the Falcons are in desperate need of help in the secondary after losing Kazee and fellow CB Darqueze Dennard to IR over the past two weeks.