You all knew it was coming sooner or later, now it's time to find out which Falcons are a little banged up from last weekend's game versus Miami. According to coach Mike Smith, linebacker Akeem Dent (knee), quarterback John Parker Wilson (concussion) and tight end Justin Peelle (knee) have all been listed as questionable for Friday's preseason matchup against the Jaguars.
Wilson, who was taken out of the game in the first half after being hit hard by a blitzing Jimmy Williams, has apparently only suffered a concussion, and isn't expected to miss too much time in the near future. Given fourth-stringer Adam Froman's mediocre performance during Friday's game, I'd still give Wilson a leg up on the third-string QB role.
Fortunately for the Falcons, all of those players are currently backups, with Peelle the only one slated to get any sort of extended playing non-special teams playing time this season. However, this is also coming after the sobering news that DT Corey Peters was carted off the field with a knee injury earlier today. Bottom line: no injury is a good one. Great teams can become average teams if the injury fairy is unhappy.
On the bright side, Ray Edwards returned to the practice field and "almost" fully participated in padded practice. After the team decided to hold Edwards out of the last preseason game due to his continued recovery from offseason knee surgery, we finally might get to see him in action against Jacksonville. Hopefully we won't have to see him come into the regular season completely rusty.
OG Mike Johnson, who suffered a concussion last week, and DT Trey Lewis also participated in practice today. If Johnson can actually get onto the field, then maybe he can push Garrett Reynolds for the starting right guard spot. In addition, DT Vance Walker and TE Marquez Branson did not practice today, but are expected to practice tomorrow.
Also, on a slightly random note, Kroy Biermann and Tyson Clabo were kicked out of practice for fighting. With the team's "meanest" player Harvey Dahl gone in free agency, I guess someone on the O-line had to keep up the practice fights.
Finally, the team has reportedly signed former Jets defensive tackle Carlton Powell. Powell, a former fifth-round pick by the Broncos, has bounced around among a few different teams over the past few years, but really doesn't bring anything spectacular to the table. I suspect this is simply a move to acquire depth, with Lewis, Walker, and now Peters banged up at the moment.
For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.