The Falcons (0-1) depth at linebacker will be tested when they face the Oakland Raiders (1-0) at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday at O.CO (Oakland-Alameda County) Coliseum.
Starting rookie linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, a fourth-round pick from Minnesota, rolled his ankle in practice on Thursday and was declared out of the game by the team on Friday.
Wide receivers Julio Jones (ankle) and Mohamed Sanu (ankle) are both slated to play. Defensive end Brooks Reed (shoulder) was listed as questionable and safety Keanu Neal (knee), who’s recovering from knee surgery and was working on his straight ahead and lateral running, was declared out for the game.
Campbell made his first NFL start last week against Tampa Bay and had a solid game.
He will be replaced in the lineup by Sean Weatherspoon, Philip Wheeler and Paul Worrilow depending the defensive alignment.
With Reed in limbo, the Falcons may activate defensive end/tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, who was inactive for the first time in his NFL career last week. Hageman has played in 32 NFL games and made 11 starts.
Campbell showed the benefits of his superlative length (6-feet-4 with 33 5/8-inch arms) and speed against the Bucs.
Weatherspoon, who played for Arizona last season before returning to the Falcons, is a former first-round pick by the team. He has played in 62 NFL games and made 41 starts.
Weatherspoon played 10 snaps against Tampa Bay and had four tackles.
Worrilow played eight snaps against Tampa Bay and had one quarterback hit.
Wheeler played 23 snaps and had one tackle.
The Falcons are hoping that the ankle injury doesn’t linger for Campbell, who was named Academic All-Big Ten as a junior.
“He’s been somebody that’s just answered the bell each time we’ve tried to rattle him or put him in a spot or try new things,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “It’s the length and the speed that he’s able to play with. We matched him up with a good tight end (Sunday) and he answered that challenge with the exception of the pass interference that I saw. Even on that one, I thought he had good position, but the technique can get better, where he can go back and play the ball.
“Those were the things that you get encouraged about and say ‘I know this part we can get corrected.’ ”
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