Falcons outside linebacker Dante Fowler, who was placed on the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, will miss some valuable time as he tries to rebound from his down season of 2020.

“We’ll have to assess it when he gets back,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Thursday after the Falcons’ first practice of training camp. “But Dante, it is what it is, it’s like an injury. You hope he’s healthy, and when he gets back, we have to assess him.”

Fowler, who pulled up to player check-in Tuesday in a white Bentley SUV, has to find a spot in new defensive coordinator Dean Pees’ system.

“He has to go out there and earn a role, and he knows that,” Smith said.

The Bow Tie Chronicles

For more content about The Atlanta Falcons

Follow me on Twitter @DOrlandoAJC

On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now

Atlanta Falcons coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Falcons’ 2021 schedule features trip to London, January trip to Buffalo

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) leaves the field after the game where the Carolina Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime 30-27, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.  (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. 
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez