FLOWERY BRANCH — Cornerback Jeff Okudah made his first start for the Falcons in their 23-7 loss to the Jaguars in London on Sunday.
Okudah, who was acquired in an offseason trade, battled back from a foot injury he sustained early in training camp Aug. 4. He played in a reserve role against the Lions, his former team, on Sept. 24.
With Okudah back in the lineup, the Falcons (2-2) can diversify their coverages when they face Houston (2-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It felt good being back out there with the guys,” Okudah told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “I’ve been on the sidelines for a while. Just being able to just go out there, get back and play in a larger capacity with those guys, can’t ask for anything more.”
Okudah played 49 of the 66 defensive snaps (74%) against the Jaguars. He finished with three tackles.
“It’s great to have Jeff back,” Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. “I thought he played a very physical game. He covered well, but there were some hits in that game that you heard from the sideline.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC
Falcons coach Arthur Smith said: “I thought Jeff played really well. That was good to see. I (think) our (defensive backs) are playing really well in coverage.”
Okudah, who was the third pick in the draft in 2020, was acquired for a fifth-round pick in April. Injuries slowed his career in Detroit, and he got a new start in the NFL by coming to the Falcons.
After his collision Aug. 4 with wide receiver Frank Darby on a deep route, Okudah stayed on the ground. He was carted off the field and missed the rest of training camp, the exhibition season and the first two games of the regular season.
“Rehab is always tough,” Okudah said. “Something, I was able to pull from was just my experience with the Achilles and my understanding that the rehab process kind of ebbs and flows. So just being able to take things as they come and not get too ahead of yourself.”
Cornerback Tre Flowers started the first three games of the season.
“I think that within our defensive unit (meeting) room we believe that we can be a top defense in this league,” Okudah said. “We have the bar set really high for ourselves.”
The Falcons’ defense is off to a fine start. They rank seventh overall in yards allowed (290.8 yards per game), 17th (114.5 yards per game) against the rush and third (168.3 yards per game) against the pass.
They rank 10th in scoring defense (19.3) points per game.
“We are expecting a lot out of ourselves,” Okudah said. “We understand that’s going to be a tremendous commitment. So, we are trying to put the work in day in and day out and hopefully reap the fruits of our labor.”
The Falcons wanted to ease Okudah back into the action. They thought he held up well against the Jaguars.
“I thought he did good,” Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said. “He played somewhere of 45, 49 snaps. Graded him. Thought he did a good job. Had a couple of pass breakups. Getting physical. Came up and made some tackles. I think he’s getting himself back into shape, football shape, and looks pretty good.”
With Okudah back, the Falcons will have options if they want to match up with Nico Collins, Houston’s top receiver. Either Okudah or Terrell can cover Collins.
He also gives them options in the nickel and dime packages.
“To be honest, with the talent in our (group), we never lost the ability to be that versatile,” Okudah said.
The Falcons played rookie DeMarcco Hellams at safety and moved Richie Grant to linebacker in one package they played against the Jaguars.
“I thought (Hellams) did a good job,” Gray said. “He didn’t get any point-of-attack plays, but I think he played maybe like 12, 13 plays ... (Nielsen) put a package in that we hadn’t played all year, and it gave him a chance to go out there and show what he could do.”
The Falcons will face a challenge from rookie Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, who hasn’t thrown an interception over 151 attempts.
“I think the aggressively attack mantra is something that always is going to remain,” Okudah said. “When I get in there, just do my part and holding up that standard that we’ve set together as a defensive unit.”
