The Falcons’ season on the brink took another ominous turn Wednesday with the confirmation that Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones is out for the season.
Jones suffered an undisclosed right foot injury against the New York Jets and will have surgery Monday.
With the Falcons off to a 1-4 start, Jones was carrying the offense. Even while being double- and sometimes triple-teamed, Jones has accounted for 35.3 percent of the team’s receiving yards and 26.9 percent of its catches.
The Falcons suspected Tuesday that Jones, 24, would be lost for the season, but wanted to wait until he received a second opinion from Dr. Robert Anderson, a noted foot specialist in Charlotte, N.C., before declaring him out.
“Unfortunately, Julio’s appointment with the doctor today confirmed our initial findings,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said in a statement released by the team.
Several of the Falcons spoke with Jones before he left for Charlotte.
“I saw him in here today,” quarterback Matt Ryan said after practice. “In those situations, we’ve all kind of been there before. It’s part of playing in this league. It’s a tough, physical game. He’s got a great mindset about it. He’s positive, and he’s upbeat.”
With Jones and Roddy White (ankle/hamstring) out of practice, only five wide receivers participated: Harry Douglas, Kevin Cone, Drew Davis, Darius Johnson and James Rodgers. Johnson and Rodgers are on the practice squad.
The Falcons are expected to sign wide receiver Brian Robiskie, son of assistant head coach/wide receivers Terry Robiskie.
“We are all like brothers,” Douglas said. “It’s not a good feeling, but at the same time you know you have to step up even more and work harder.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank was in the nation’s capital for the owner’s fall meeting. He is not happy with the 1-4 start or the news about Jones’ injury.
“Very disappointed,” Blank told USA Today. “You know, when it rains, it pours. In this case, we’re having a monsoon right now in Atlanta.
“We’re disappointed. He’s a great player, a great human being. But you know the slogan and the philosophy in the NFL is ‘Next man, up.’ The injury bug is real. We’ve had our share this year.”
Blank added: “It’ll be tough to replace (Jones), but we have a lot of talent. We have a great quarterback.”
Cone, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011, played at Georgia Tech after starting his college career at Shorter. He played in 12 games last season, primarily on special teams, and made his first NFL catch against the Jets on Monday.
“The biggest thing is getting my mind ready,” Cone said.
Davis, also a 2011 undrafted free agent, played in all 16 games last season on special teams. He had four catches for 40 yards and one touchdown.
“The missed time that Roddy has had in practice has given Drew Davis and Kevin Cone an opportunity to work with Matt,” Smith said. “They probably have worked more with Matt in practice than both Roddy and Julio (this season).”
Robiskie, 25, was a second-round pick (39th overall) by the Browns in 2009 and played with Cleveland, Jacksonville and Detroit. He started 14 of the 37 games in which he played and has 43 catches for 485 yards and four touchdowns. He’s 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds.
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