The Atlanta Falcons announced several roster changes ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, set for Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Inside linebacker Divine Deablo has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a fractured left forearm during last week’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Raheem Morris addressed Deablo’s status earlier in the week, stating, “week-to-week.” On Wednesday, Morris said it was “very possible” that Deablo would be moved to injured reserve.
Deablo joined the Falcons as an offseason signing and played a key role on defense through six games. He recorded 24 tackles, broke up four passes, recovered a fumble, and assisted in a sack before his injury.
Following Deablo’s exit last Sunday, JD Bertrand stepped in and made one tackle against San Francisco. Bertrand ended up tying with safety Jessie Bates III and 49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune for a game-high 10 tackles. Looking ahead to facing Miami, Bertrand has been practicing with the first team. “Last week, I was backing up a lot of position, just next man in a lot of position,” Bertrand said Thursday. “Now, it’ll be nice to focus a little bit more on a single position and really kind of get into those details of that position. Know the others, but not as much.”
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich indicated that replacing Deablo will require contributions from multiple players including Bertrand, Josh Woods, DeAngelo Malone, DeMarcco Hellams and safety Jordan Fuller.
Fuller was activated from injured reserve after being sidelined since September due to a knee injury sustained in Week 2. He had only played one defensive snap and sixteen special teams snaps in the season opener before his injury. Since his return window opened October 16th during Week 7 practices, he has participated fully though did not play last week.
Ronnie Harrison has also been signed to the active roster from the practice squad. Harrison previously played for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18 of last season and brings seven years of experience across three teams with 48 starts over 84 appearances.
Wide receiver Drake London is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after being limited in Friday’s practice because of a hip issue.
Additionally, wide receiver Dylan Drummond and quarterback Easton Stick have both been elevated from the practice squad for this week’s game—their first elevations this season. The Falcons last used standard practice squad elevations during their Week 6 win over Buffalo.
NFL rules allow each team to elevate two players from its practice squad per game day; any player can be elevated three times per season before requiring full addition to the active roster.
The Falcons-Dolphins game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
