FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons second-round pick Richie Grant has been contributing on defense while he’s learning the defense. If Erik Harris, who left the game Sunday against Washington with a calf injury, misses some time, the Falcons will need to speed Grant’s learning process.
Jaylinn Hawkins went in for Harris, but the Falcons also have lost nickel back Isaiah Oliver, who is out for the season.
Veteran Duron Harmon has some advice for Grant before the Falcons (1-3) get ready to play the New York Jets (1-3) at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
“It’s a journey,” Harmon said. “It’s a long journey. There are plenty of guys who started their careers without being a starter right away. But what are you going to do to progress to when your time comes so that you’ll be fully prepared for that moment.”
Harmon, who was drafted in the third round in 2013, started only three games his rookie season.
“I just try to keep talking to him and working with him after practice,” Harmon said. “He sits right behind me in the meetings. He’s always asking questions. He’s a smart, bright kid.”
Grant remains upbeat.
“The future is really bright for him, but right now, he’s still trying to perfect his role,” Harmon said. “The coaches give us roles each and every week. The faster he embraces his role, the more responsibilities he will get. It’s on him.
“It’s on him to keep getting better. It’s on him to keep learning. It’s on him to keep learning from different situations so that he can retain all of this information, (from) all of these different situations so when his time comes, he’ll be fully prepared.”
Here’s the Falcons’ official depth heading into the Jets game.
OFFENSE
WR - Calvin Ridley, Tajae Sharpe or Christian Blake
TE - Kyle Pitts, Lee Smith
LT - Jake Matthews, Jason Spriggs
LG - Jaylen Mayfield, Drew Dalman, Colby Gossett, Josh Andrews
C - Matt Hennessy, Drew Dalman
RG - Chris Lindstrom, Drew Dalman
RT - Kaleb McGary, Jason Spriggs
TE - Hayden Hurst, Keith Smith, Parker Hesse, *Feleipe Franks (Was part of TE/QB package vs. Giants)
WR - Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Frank Darby
RB - Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Wayne Gallman
*FB -- Keith Smith, Cordarrelle Patterson (Added to reflect that they played the position in the opener.)
QB - Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen, Feleipe Franks
DEFENSE
DL - Grady Jarrett, Marlon Davidson
NT - Tyeler Davison, Ta’Quon Graham
DL - Jonathan Bullard, Mike Pennel, John Cominsky
OLB - Steven Means, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner or Brandon Copeland
ILB - Deion Jones, Mykal Walker
ILB - Foyesade Oluokun, Dorian Etheridge
OLB – Dante Fowler, Adetokunbo Ogundeji
LCB - A.J. Terrell, T.J. Green, Darren Hall
FS - Erik Harris, Jaylinn Hawkins
SS - Duron Harmon, Richie Grant
RCB - Fabian Moreau, Avery Williams, Kendall Sheffield
SPECIAL TEAMS
K - Younghoe Koo
P - Dustin Colquitt
LS - Josh Harris
H - Dustin Colquitt
PR - Avery Williams
KOR - Cordarrelle Patterson
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