Falcons to lean on rookie Sheffield with Trufant out
Rookie Kendall Sheffield, much like earlier in the season, will be counted on to play multiple roles for the Falcons over the final three games.
Veteran Desmond Trufant suffered a broken forearm against the Panthers on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season. He was placed on injured reserve on Monday.
“We are very excited about where Sheffield is headed,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said on Wednesday. “We’ll keep him in the same spot in our base defense. He and (Isaiah) Oliver will be outside. Then in our nickel package, he’ll likely work inside.”
Trufant missed four games with a turf toe injury earlier in the season.
“That’s really how we went, unfortunately we have some experience with this lineup with Trufant being out (earlier),” Quinn said. “We relied heavily on Blidi (Wreh-Wilson) in those moments to do that. We have some experience in that unfortunately.”
Sheffield, a fourth-round pick from Ohio State, has played well. He’s play 493 defensive snaps and 128 on special teams.
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Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
