Falcons’ Deablo set to return from arm injury; Bowman out with Achilles
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons are hoping to get a boost from the return of starting inside linebacker Divine Deablo, who’s recovered from a fractured forearm, when they face the Saints at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The Falcons don’t have to announce his activation until 4 p.m. Saturday.
Also, nickelback Billy Bowman suffered an Achilles injury shortly after practice Friday and is out. Dee Alford will take over at nickelback.
Wide receiver Drake London (knee), linebacker Josh Woods (hamstring) and defensive tackle Zach Harrison (knee) are out for the game.
Questionable for the game are linebacker Malik Verdon, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, right guard Chris Lindstrom and left guard Matthew Bergeron.
The Falcons were 3-3 when Deablo was injured in the 20-10 loss Oct. 19 against San Francisco. They have struggled in his absence, losing four consecutive games. He initially was replaced by second-year linebacker J.D. Bertrand, then by a group and finally by Ronnie Harrison, who led the Falcons in tackles with 10 in the last outing against the Panthers.
Deablo, with a heavily-bandaged left forearm, returned to practice Wednesday.
“It feels good out there,” Deablo said. “Obviously, I’m a little out of shape, so I’ve been trying to run to the ball. Get my details right. I feel like I’m a little rusty. But it will get there. I should be OK (by Sunday).”
Deablo, who signed a two-year contract worth $14 million in free agency, had 24 tackles, four pass breakups and 2½ sacks.
He could help cover Saints tight end Juwan Johnson, who has 43 catches for 491 yards and three touchdowns. He caught a 30-yard TD in the Saints’ 17-7 win over the Panthers on Nov. 9.
“It’s never just one man, but it’s been tough because you want to help your teammates,” Deablo said about missing time. “But it’s OK. I feel like it’s not over until it’s over. We are just going to go out there and go one game at a time.”
Deablo was injured while trying to make a tackle in the second quarter against the 49ers.
“Arm feels great,” Deablo said. “I don’t even notice it out there.”
Deablo believes he’ll be fine tackling with the soft cast on his arm.
“I knew the tackling might be a challenge, but I tackle with my chest anyway,” Deablo said. “I’ll be hugging them. It should not be an issue.”
He has done his homework on the Saints.
“Very solid team,” Deablo said. “You can’t sleep on them. They have a very good back in the backfield. They also have Taysom Hill. He came back from injury recently. He’s a great weapon for them. He can (play) wildcat quarterback and still throw the ball out of the backfield. He’s a hard runner, and you can’t arm tackle him. So, they’ve got some weapons. We just have to be ready.”
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was elated with Deablo’s return to practice.
“He looked good,” Ulbrich said. “He’s been so diligent in his time off, really staying up to date with what we’ve done defensively, with how we are growing and evolving. Yeah, it was like he hasn’t missed a beat.”
But can he play with that cast?
“We’ll see,” Ulbrich said. “It’s one of those things that, you know, I was fortunate enough to play with a guy named (Pro Football Hall of Famer) Patrick Willis, who played with that multiple times in like multiple years. It never slowed him down. Common sense says he’s going to struggle maybe tackling or catching the ball or wrapping up. But it was not the case for him.
“Divine is fortunate in the fact that he has tremendous length. A lot of times that length can help you overcome something like a club.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
