FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — There's a good chance the Atlanta Falcons will get two injured defenders back in the near future. One could return to the lineup as soon as Monday's game against the Buffalo Bills.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday that cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. and defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham will return to practice in Week 6.
Terrell has missed the Falcons' last two games with a hamstring injury. Graham is one of eight Atlanta players with an injury designation and has not played or practiced yet this season.
"The only status that's going to change is TQ," Morris said. "Obviously we're starting his three-week window. Ready to come back.
"And then, A.J. will probably be the significant one we look forward to getting back this game. Obviously he'll be out there practicing this week. We'll take it right up to game time. We feel good about it."
Terrell sustained his hamstring injury late in the second quarter of the Falcons’ Week 2 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Dee Alford has been starting in his place.
Through his first game and a half, Terrell recorded two pass defenses and nine tackles.
Terrell has been a starter for the Falcons since they drafted him with the No. 16 overall pick in 2020, and he is coming off a standout 2024 season.
Graham, meanwhile, injured his calf on Aug. 12 during a training camp practice. At the time, Morris didn't think it was something significant. When the Falcons' initial roster came out weeks later, however, Graham was noticeably on injured reserve with a designation to return.
Now that the Falcons have cleared Graham to practice, they have 21 days to either move him to the active roster or place him on season-ending injured reserve.
Atlanta drafted Graham with a fifth-round pick in 2021. He has been a consistent depth piece ever since, playing in at least 10 games each season. Through his four seasons, he has started 16 of his 49 career appearances.
Last year, Graham had a quarterback hit and 12 tackles in 10 games.
Morris did not provide any updates on other injured players, such as wide receivers Darnell Mooney and KhaDarel Hodge. Mooney left the Falcons’ Week 4 win against the Washington Commanders in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Hodge has been dealing with a groin injury that kept him out of the last game.
"Obviously we'll get more information on (Mooney) when we start practicing and all those things," Morris said. "Same thing as Hodge. Hodge will be doing some things in practice. But we'll get a better feel for those guys as we move through the week."
Running back Nathan Carter remains the only question mark on the active roster after missing the Commanders game with a hamstring injury.
Otherwise, even after the Week 5 bye and the minimum four games met, edge rusher Bralen Trice (knee) and offensive lineman Storm Norton (ankle) are still on injured reserve. Inside linebackers Malik Verdon (unknown) and Troy Andersen (knee) also remain on the non-football injury and physically unable to perform lists, respectively.
"The rest of those guys will remain status quo of what they've been," Morris said.
