Linebacker Kaden Elliss moved from the Falcons to the Saints as a free agent this offseason, but he won’t be playing against his former team on Monday night.
Elliss was ruled out on Saturday after missing practice all week with a calf injury. Elliss, who spent three seasons with the Falcons after opening his career with the Saints, has 24 tackles this season.
The Saints will be down two starting linebackers as they also ruled out Carl Granderson (ankle) and they could be missing a third. Pete Werner is questionable with a shoulder injury. Neither Granderson nor Werner practiced at all this week.
Reserve linebacker Anfernee Jennings (knee) is also out and tight end Noah Fant (abdomen) joins Werner with a questionable tag.
Falcons Clips
The Falcons have released their final injury report for Monday night’s game in New Orleans and it includes three of the team’s linebackers.
Divine Deablo and Samson Ebukam were limited participants in practice all week and both of them have been listed as questionable to play against the Saints. Both players are dealing with hamstring injuries.
Deablo has 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in three starts this season while Ebukam had three tackles and a half-sack in the first two weeks of the season. He did not play in last week’s win over the Packers.
Yasir Abdullah (illness) is also questionable. He was a full participant on Saturday.
It’s the year of the backup quarterback, so far.
Through three weeks, six quarterbacks who didn’t start in Week 1 have since started six games. They’re collectively 6-0.
Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz started and won at Chicago in Week 2. Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock started and won at Arizona in Week 2. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. started and won at Green Bay in Week 3. Giants quarterback Jameis Winston started and won vs. the Titans in Week 3. Washington quarterback Marcus Mariota started and won vs. the Seahawks in Week 6. And Bears quarterback Case Keenum started and won vs. the Eagles in Week 3.
In Week 4, two more quarterbacks who didn’t start in Week 1 are expected to start their first games of the season: Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent vs. the Jets and Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels vs. the Packers.
The situation shows the importance of having two, if not three, quarterbacks who can be counted on to play, and play well. A game here or a game there in the absence of the starting quarterback could eventually make the difference between making the playoffs or missing the bus.
Falcons defensive end Samson Ebukam remained limited in Friday’s practice ahead of Monday night’s game against the Saints.
Ebukam injured his hamstring in the Week 2 loss to the Panthers and missed the Week 3 win over the Packers.
Linebacker Divine Deablo was also limited for a second day with a hamstring injury, but he has not missed any game action this season. He played every snap for Atlanta’s defense against Green Bay.
The Falcons added rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels to the injury report as a limited participant. He is managing his Achilles injury, which cost him practice time this summer.
Defensive end Za’Darius Smith returned to limited work after a rest day on Thursday.
The Falcons announced on Friday that their longtime center Jeff Van Note has died at the age of 80.
Van Note was selected by the Falcons in the 11th round of the 1969 draft and he remained with the team through the 1986 season. Van Note was added to the franchise Ring of Honor in 2006
Van Note played linebacker at Alabama, but was moved to center by then-Falcons head coach Norm Van Brocklin. He became a starter in 1970 and was named a second-team All-Pro twice while making six Pro Bowls.
“Today, we mourn the loss of a true Falcons legend,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “Jeff Van Note dedicated 18 seasons to this franchise and became one of the most respected and beloved players in our history. He embodied toughness, resilience, humility, and an unwavering commitment to his team, qualities that earned him the admiration of generations of Falcons fans.”
Van Note played in 246 games during his time with the Falcons, which is second only to his former teammate Mike Kenn in franchise history.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore said earlier this week that running back Travis Etienne would miss time with a hamstring injury and Moore revealed just how much time on Thursday.
Moore announced that the Saints have placed Etienne on injured reserve. That will make Monday night’s game against the Falcons the first of at least four games he will miss because of the move.
Etienne leads the Saints with 30 carries and 128 rushing yards. Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, and CJ Donaldson are the other running backs in New Orleans.
The Saints signed wide receiver Kevin Austin off of the practice squad to fill out their 53-man roster. Austin appeared in the first three games as a temporary elevation and has one catch for seven yards.
The Falcons returned to work Thursday ahead of their Monday night game against the Saints.
Defensive end Samson Ebukam returned to practice as a limited participant. It marks his first practice since injuring his hamstring in the Week 2 loss to the Panthers.
Linebacker Divine Deablo (hamstring) was also limited in Thursday’s practice.
Defensive end Za’Darius Smith took a rest day.
The Falcons have three consecutive primetime games, having beaten the Packers on Thursday Night Football. In Week 5, they play the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has made a good impression on the Falcons in his first three games as a member of the team.
Agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus told ESPN that Dexter has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the team. The deal is worth $78 million $78 million and includes $46.5 million in guaranteed money.
Dexter joined the Falcons in a trade with the Bears on August 30. He was a 2023 second-round pick in Chicago and the Falcons sent defensive back Clark Phillips and a fifth-round pick to the Bears in the deal.
Dexter has seven tackles, a half-sack and a pass defensed through the first three weeks of the season.
Bijan Robinson had an excellent performance in last week’s win over the Packers and now the league has recognized him for it.
Robinson has been named NFC offensive player of the week.
Robinson accumulated 213 yards from scrimmage — 194 rushing, 19 receiving on two catches — with two touchdowns in the 35-14 victory.
It was the third time in Robinson’s career that he’s eclipsed 200 yards in a game.
Through three weeks, Robinson leads the league with 467 yards from scrimmage.
Tua Tagovailoa’s chance to be the Falcons’ starting quarterback may have come and gone.
Tagovailoa was set to start in Week 1 before an oblique injury in the days before the game knocked him out of consideration to play against the Steelers. Tagovailoa also missed Week 2, which gave Michael Penix enough time to finish his road back from a torn ACL and move to the top of the depth chart.
Penix led the Falcons to a win over the Packers last Thursday and Tagovailoa is now in the backup slot. Tagovailoa said on Tuesday that he views his role as making “sure you’re not the reason [Penix is] failing.”
“I’m always going to look at it as a competition,” Tagovailoa said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. “But as I said, this is the job description right now. Mike’s the guy. We have to do everything we can to support him, and we’re going to support him.”
Penix has a long history of knee injuries and a short history of sustained success as a starter, so Tagovailoa’s role could change at some point in the future. For now, though, he’s going to be an observer on gameday.
