The Falcons made a flurry of roster moves Thursday afternoon in advance of the team’s 8:20 p.m. kickoff against New England at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The team placed tight end Hayden Hurst and inside linebacker Daren Bates on injured reserve. Hurst (knee) and Bates (groin) previously were ruled out for the game, but later the Falcons placed them on the IR list. Hurst was injured Sunday against the Cowboys. Tight end Lee Smith, who missed that game, will return for the game against the Patriots.
In other moves, the Falcons signed outside linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee and tight end Parker Hesse to the 53-man roster. The team used a standard practice-squad elevation on wide receiver Marvin Hall and safety Shawn Williams, making them active for Thursday’s game.
With offensive lineman Josh Andrews on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Falcons used a COVID-19 elevation to activate running back Qadree Ollison.
The Falcons will have until 90 minutes before kickoff to decide whether Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) and Jaylinn Hawkins (ankle) will be on the inactive list or will be eligible to play. Both were listed as questionable on the injury report Wednesday.
The Falcons also added offensive linemen Rick Leonard and Joe Sculthorpe to the practice squad.
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