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.

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