The Falcons got a welcome dose of injury relief on Wednesday as they settled into Madrid for their Week 9 meeting with the Bengals.
After a stretch of injury issues that has hit Atlanta hard, especially on defense, the team’s estimated report coming out of a walkthrough offered some real encouragement. The biggest positive was Billy Bowman Jr. getting back to full participation. Bowman has been out the past two games with a hamstring injury, and his return to full work points to a possible comeback soon.
Two other key names also moved in the right direction. Divine Deablo, who has been dealing with a forearm injury, was limited, while Brian Robinson Jr. was also limited as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. For a Falcons team trying to steady itself before a tough international game, that kind of progress matters.
Atlanta also had another notable development on defense with the return of edge rusher James Pearce Jr. Pearce missed the first eight games while serving a suspension, but he is back with the team and working toward his season debut against Cincinnati.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said he feels good about where Pearce is from a football standpoint, noting that the young pass rusher has spent the past month working with the Falcons’ strength staff. Even so, Atlanta will spend the rest of the week figuring out how much Pearce can actually handle on Sunday.
That decision could matter. The Falcons could use another threat off the edge as they try to create more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Wednesday’s report, though, came with an important caveat: it was only an estimate because the Falcons held a walkthrough after arriving in Spain early Wednesday morning.
There is still work to do before Sunday, and Atlanta is not out of the woods injury-wise yet. But with Bowman trending up, Deablo and Robinson both taking part in limited fashion, and Pearce back in the building, the Falcons had reasons to feel better after a rough stretch that included a disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Atlanta will continue preparing in Madrid through the week before facing Cincinnati on Sunday, and the next injury updates will help clarify who’s ready to go as the Falcons try to get back in the win column.
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