Brooks Reed Returns to Falcons Practice

Brooks Reed returns to Atlanta Falcons practice for the first time since undergoing groin surgery in the preseason. Coach Quinn said he was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.

LB Brooks Reed will return to practice today for the #Falcons. He will be limited.
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) September 24, 2015

It makes sense now why the Atlanta Falcons did not place Brooks Reed on Injured Reserve-Designated to Return (IR-DTR) at the start of the 2015 NFL Season. Reed, according to Atlanta Falcons HC Dan Quinn, “was able to participate in the walkthrough and do some things.” Quinn added, “the rehab’s gone great” for Brooks Reed, as he credited the Falcons’ training staff in Reed’s speedy recovery.

Brooks Reed came to Atlanta as one of the front office’s strategic targets in free agency to bolster the new look defensive unit. Reed spent the last several years playing outside linebacker for the Houston Texans.

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In a very limited sample size, Reed looks strong at OLB opposite of Justin Durant in Coach Quinn’s scheme. However, the lingering groin issues with Brooks Reed in OTA’s and throughout training camp required surgery. Reed ended up missing the final two preseason games, as well as the Atlanta Falcons’ first two regular season games of 2015.

When asked in Reed would be able to play on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, Dan Quinn remarked that he’d rather take it day by day because he’s “way ahead of schedule”. Getting Brooks Reed back as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice of Week 3 comes as a pleasant surprise to me. This nagging groin injury of Brooks Reed seemed like it would take most of the season to rectify.

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Fortunately for Reed, Quinn and the rest of the Atlanta Falcons, the linebacker group already looks much improved over last year’s squad. Justin Durant and Paul Worrilow are playing freely in DC Richard Smith‘s defense. Reserves like O’Brien Schofield and Kroy Biermann have stepped up in the first two weeks with great pass disrupting plays to help lead the Falcons to consecutive victories.

I would imagine that Brooks Reed will be inactive again in the Atlanta Falcons’ road game against the Dallas Cowboys on the side of precaution. However, don’t be shocked to see Brooks Reed start against his former team, the Houston Texans, in the Falcons’ Week 4 matchup in the Georgia Dome.

It’s astonishing that Reed was able to bounce back this quickly, not even a month after groin surgery. In all likelihood, I see Brooks Reed starting for the Atlanta Falcons at OLB at the start of the second quarter of the season when Atlanta takes on the Washington Redskins in Week 5.

Next: Atlanta Falcons: Cool, Calm, Collected for Dallas

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