Falcons cornerback Kendall Sheffield, who is competing for as starting spot, will return to practice Tuesday, according to coach Dan Quinn.
Sheffield missed the past three practices with a foot injury.
Sheffield, who was taken in the fourth round of the draft last year out of Ohio State, played nickel back in 2019. The Falcons have a vacancy after cutting top cornerback Desmond Trufant, who went on to sign with Detroit in free agency.
The team signed Darqueze Dennard in free agency and drafted A.J. Terrell in the first round. Isaiah Oliver is the incumbent at right cornerback.
Sheffield played in all 16 games and made 11 starts. He finished the season with 46 tackles, three passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Sheffield played 708 defensive snaps (67%) and 142 snaps on special teams (23.8%).
SHEFFIELD 2019 DRAFT BIO
Fourth round (111th overall) Kendall Sheffield, CB, Ohio State
Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 193 pounds 40-yard dash: 4.26 seconds, according to Sheffield in phone interview. Bench: Injured his left pectoral muscle on his seventh lift at the combine. Said surgery would not be required. Vertical: not available 10-yard split: not available 20-yard: not available 3-Cone Drill: not available Broad Jump: not available Overview: He signed with Alabama coming out of high school and went to Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, before landing at Ohio State. He has rare speed. He left Alabama after spending his first season as a redshirt. In 2016, he played cornerback and returned kicks at Blinn. He scored touchdowns on both punt and kickoff returns. He made 40 tackles and finished with nine passes defensed in his first season with the Buckeyes, second on the team only to 2018 No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward, a rookie Pro Bowler for the Cleveland Browns. Teams were a bit more hesitant to challenge Sheffield in 2018, and his tackle (35) and pass breakups (six) dropped despite his starting all 14 games. He was projected to be selected in the third round of the draft. He is from Missouri City, Texas.
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