FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons have some positive news on the injury front for a change. A number of players have been sidelined with minor injuries thus far in camp, but coach Dan Quinn announced that some big names will be returning to practice this week ahead of the Falcons' third preseason game.
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Calvin Ridley and Desmond Trufant are the two biggest names returning to the practice field this week. Ridley has been rehabbing from a tight hamstring he suffered early on in training camp, and Trufant will be a full go after working in a limited fashion due to a lower back strain. Two other players who Quinn said will be back at practice this week are Duke Riley and Ra'Shede Hageman, who had both been dealing with groin injuries.
Things will also continue to ramp up for Julio Jones and Deion Jones. The two Pro Bowlers have been working off to the side during practice since the start of training camp, but Quinn said they will begin to receive a bit more work.
"We'll get more of both Deion and Julio from a practice standpoint," Quinn said. "That's kind of been part of the design for them. We're about three weeks left in the preseason for them; we've kind of all along had a good script of where we thought we could head with them."
Quinn said both players are on the same trajectory of getting ready for the season opener on Sept. 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.
One player who will not be returning to practice on Sunday is left guard James Carpenter, who has been dealing with a hip flexor injury. He will be doing rehab work on the side, Quinn explained, but they won't know for a few days if Carpenter is ready to return to practice in a full capacity.
