The Atlanta Falcons have already suffered several key injuries on the defensive side of the football this season and now they’ll be without yet another starter on that side on Sunday when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn told 92.9 The Game during a Wednesday morning interview that starting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett will miss the Sunday game against the Steelers due to ankle injury he suffered during the team’s 37-36 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.
“When we get him back right, we’ll get him back in there when we can,” Quinn said during his weekly radio show.
With Jarrett now sidelined, the Falcons signed former free agent defensive tackle Michael Bennett on Wednesday to serve as a reinforcement and waived defensive tackle Justin Zimmer to make room for him on the 53-man roster. Bennett, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was originally selected in the sixth-round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
As for Jarrett, who was selected by the Falcons in the fifth-round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Clemson, he had already registered 16 total tackles and 4 quarterback hits on the season through the first four games of the regular season.
Falcons backup defensive lineman Jack Crawford will replace Jarrett in the starting lineup Sunday against the Steelers, Quinn said Wednesday.
Prior to having Jarrett go down injured, the Falcons had already lost three other defensive starters, safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal and inside linebacker Deion Jones, for the remainder of the season due to injuries.
The Falcons defense enters Week 5 having already allowed 476 yards rushing and 1200 yards passing on the season for an average per play allowed of 5.90 yards. Not having Jarrett on Sunday against the Steelers certainly won’t help their cause when it comes to them attempting to stop the Pittsburgh offense.
