The Atlanta Falcons' 22-6 win over Minnesota is proving to be costly with star corner A.J. Terrell missing the entire second half due to a hamstring injury and continuing to be held out this week. Falcons' reporter Tori McElhaney tweeted that head coach Raheem Morris has clarified that Terrell isn't considered "day-to-day" but "week-to-week." It is a clarification that seems to suggest the head coach is expecting his best corner to miss time. The good news for Atlanta is that two very winnable games are ahead before an early-season bye week.
If Terrell is forced to miss this week's matchup against Carolina, the Falcons should still be able to win against one of the league's worst teams. Leading to the next debate for Atlanta fans on who is going to fill the void left if Terrell misses game action? Falcons' beat writer Terrin Waack asked this question, reporting that Morris had an interesting answer, offering only that it was "definitely going to be a competition." This is far from providing clarity and suggests a chance for Atlanta's bench.
Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris Gives Interesting Answer on Pontential A.J. Terrell Replacement
Morris is making it clear that he has an open mind when looking for options to start in Carolina. Rookie Billy Bowman will continue to play the slot, while Mike Hughes has one outside starting role locked in, leaving Terrell's spot as the only position in the secondary in question. What will be interesting here is watching whether Morris intends to have one starter when Sunday's game kicks off, or rotate options if Terrell cannot go.
Natrone Brooks, Clark Phillips, and Dee Alford are the primary options the Falcons can explore with Brooks as the wildcard. Both Phillips and Alford have starting experience with very mixed results. However, it is worth noting that Alford stepped into last Sunday night's game when Terrell went down and played at an incredibly high level. There wasn't a hint of the struggles that were put on display a season ago.
Obviously, the best-case scenario here is that this never becomes a debate with Terrell recovering faster than expected and joining the starting lineup. Something that doesn't seem incredibly likely, judging from the comments of Morris and the approach the Falcons have taken in practice throughout the week.
Terrell hasn't been able to participate, and with the concern of hamstring injuries lingering, it makes sense to attempt to win in Week 3 without putting one of your most important defenders at risk. No question, if there is any level of concern, Morris has the right outlook, focusing on getting all of the possible options reps in hopes of finding the best answer.