‘I scared a lot of people’: Falcons’ Kendal Daniels recaps frightening injury

FLOWERY BRANCH — Kendal Daniels stood in front of the Falcons’ Ring of Honor on Wednesday, two hallways down from the team’s locker room, sporting a camo long-sleeve and gray beanie.

There, shortly after fully participating in a practice as if nothing ever happened, the rookie linebacker recapped the scenes from perhaps the scariest moment of his football career three days prior.

“I scared a lot of people,” Daniels said. “It was a scary play. I’m blessed to come out how I did, and it was a bang-bang play, but I’m happy I’m here.”

On a tight end screen with 8 minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Falcons’ 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Daniels hurried downhill and tackled Bears standout Colston Loveland.

Daniels didn’t get his head around Loveland’s legs and out of the tackle window. The top of his head went directly into Loveland’s knee. He started to lift himself up, then felt pain in his neck and went down until the trainers arrived.

For almost eight minutes, Daniels’ back rested against the Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf. The Falcons’ bench emptied. His teammates surrounded him. He was stretchered off, his body immobilized against a backboard, and he was taken directly to Grady Memorial Hospital.

“I wasn’t even thinking about playing or if I could play again,” Daniels said. “I was just listening to what (Falcons director of sports medicine) Jake (Pfeil) was telling me to do and just sit on the ground and try to be as still as possible, because I didn’t know what it was. So, Jake just told me to stay still, and I stayed still for as long as he wanted me to.”

Daniels remained conscious the entire time. He never lost feeling in his feet or hands. But the scenes — his body covered in medical equipment, his limbs not moving, his teammates down on a knee — certainly created cause for concern.

Once he arrived at the hospital, Daniels went through a series of tests. They made him move his fingers, move his feet and see if he could feel everything. He could. They checked to see if he had a concussion. He didn’t.

“Everything came back positive,” Daniels said.

The Falcons’ medical cart exited the field and went into the tunnel at around 3:10 p.m. Sunday. Shortly after 5 p.m., Daniels walked into the Falcons’ locker room, still wearing his game pants. He returned to the team’s facility Monday and practiced Wednesday.

When the Falcons’ linebackers went through drills, Daniels was first in line. He said he feels better, and playing Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers “for sure, could be” a possibility.

“That’s up to Jake and all the trainers to decide,” Daniels said. “I just go out there and just try my best and get in the training room and try to feel as good as I can. But as far as all that goes, I’ll just take what they tell me, and I go out there and do what I can.”

Starting linebacker Divine Deablo didn’t practice Wednesday because of an arm injury. If Deablo can’t play and Daniels can, the fourth-round rookie will wear the green dot Sunday, communicating play-calls from defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to the rest of his teammates.