Falcons activate CB A.J. Terrell off reserve/COVID-19 list

We got the positive news on Wednesday that Falcons rookie CB A.J. Terrell had returned to the team facility and was participating in meetings. That led to considerable hope that Terrell could possibly return to the practice field in time to be ready for Week 5’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers, if he could be fully cleared from the reserve/COVID-19 list. It appears that will be the case, as the Falcons announced the roster move today.

Terrell was officially removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday and returned to the active roster. This was an expected move, as the team didn’t immediately move to fill the vacant roster spot gained by placing S Damontae Kazee on IR. Assuming Terrell has been able to keep up his conditioning over the past two weeks, he should be cleared to play on Sunday for the first time since Week 2.

Terrell’s return comes at a fortuitous time for Atlanta, as the secondary has been absolutely decimated by injuries during his absence. Kazee will miss the remainder of the 2020 season with an Achilles injury, Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal are still recovering from injuries of their own, and fellow CB Darqueze Dennard remains on IR with the injury he suffered in the game against the Bears.

With Kendall Sheffield back in the lineup and A.J. Terrell playing opposite him, it’s possible we could finally see some improvements on defense after a truly horrible start to the season. Will it be enough to translate into a divisional win on Sunday against the Panthers? That remains to be seen, but I’d say it would be almost impossible for the pass defense to be any worse.

What are your thoughts on Terrell’s return? Will his presence help the secondary in a meaningful way? Do you think the starting duo of Kendall Sheffield and Terrell is better than a duo involving Isaiah Oliver?