Falcons’ Kendal Daniels conscious, has movement after injury vs. Bears

ATLANTA — Falcons rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels was strapped on a backboard and stretchered off after his face mask collided with the knee of Bears tight end Colston Loveland on a tackle with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter of Sunday’s game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Daniels was officially ruled out with a neck injury 30 minutes after the hit. According to the Fox broadcast, Daniels was transported to the Grady Medical Center but is fully conscious and has movement in all extremities.

Daniels, who initially started the process of getting up after the tackle before staying down, spent roughly seven minutes laying on the field with medical personnel by his side. His defensive teammates stayed on the field, with several taking a knee in prayer while he received attention.

Four minutes after the hit initially took place, the Falcons’ bench emptied. All of the players and several coaches walked onto the field and gathered around Daniels while his back and neck were stabilized.

Daniels was eventually carted off, and the game resumed thereafter. The cart returned to the sideline approximately 10 minutes after it carried Daniels to the locker room.

The 6-foot-5, 242-pound Daniels has started every game this season. A fourth-round pick from Oklahoma, Daniels led the Falcons with seven tackles at the time of his injury. And after starting linebacker Divine Deablo left with an arm injury in the first half, Daniels took over green dot responsibilities and communicated play calls to his teammates.

Daniels has drawn praise throughout this season for his versatility and intelligence. He’s played all three linebacker positions along with a small dose of snaps as an edge defender. On Thursday, Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich described Daniels’ acumen, intelligence and ability to articulate the game as “exceptional,” and his immense.

“There’s huge room for growth,” Ulbrich said. “There will be growth because of the way that he’s wired. I can never see him being a player that says, ‘I got it,’ and he kicks his feet up, and it feels like he’s arrived. I mean, he’s got humility. He’s got a great desire to work hard and be really good at this game.