Recently acquired cornerback Jeff Okudah suffered an ankle injury during one-on-one drills at practice on Friday that resulted in the third-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to be carted off the field. Despite injuries limiting him to just 10 games over his first two seasons, the former Ohio State standout had a breakout season in 2022; starting 15 games for Detroit before being traded to Atlanta in early April of this year.
Joe Patrick, Atlanta Falcons Insider for 92.9 The Game, hopped on with Caleb Johnson during “The Dopey Millennials” on Sunday afternoon and didn’t seem to concerned about the impact that the injury would have on the defense when asked if the Falcons needed to do anything from a personnel standpoint to fill the void while Okudah recovers.
“I think the Falcons are in a really fortunate position, with not only the way that the injury turned out, but also the players they already have competing in the secondary in camp to the point where I don’t think it’s going to be a necessity for them to do that,” Patrick said.
While no official report has been released regarding the specifics of the injury, Patrick mentioned that all indications point to a possible high-ankle sprain for Okudah. Head Coach Arthur Smith is optimistic that the cornerback could return early in the season and is looking at a minimum for a four-week recovery period after “very positive news” regarding an MRI on his right ankle.
In the meantime, Atlanta used a combination of Tre Flowers and Mike Hughes in first-team drills opposite AJ Terrell during Saturday’s session. The Falcons still have Darren Hall and Cornell Armstrong, who both contributed last season, and added Clark Phillips III in the fourth-round during the draft this offseason to help solidify the secondary.
Despite this early setback for Okudah, Joe Patrick is confident that he can bounce back and possibly have one of the best years of his young career and be a “massive, massive upgrade over what the team was dealing with at the cornerback #2 spot last year.”