FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons center Todd McClure had surgery on his right knee Monday morning, putting his franchise-record streak of 144 consecutive starts in jeopardy.
"We don't know the exact time frame of him coming back," coach Mike Smith said. "It was a very minor procedure. ... I haven't had an opportunity to talk to Todd or the doctors yet but we will be able to update that next week.
“We will make a determination [if he can play in the season-opener] as we get closer to it next week. The first few days, as I understand it, will be very critical in terms of when he can come back.”
McClure will definitely not play in the Falcons' exhibition finale Thursday against the Ravens. The 13-year veteran, drafted in the seventh round in 1999, has been a mainstay of the offensive line and started 166 of 168 games. He broke the franchise record for consecutive games last season, surpassing Keith Brooking's mark of 128 (2000-08).
McClure left in the first half of Saturday’s exhibition game against the Steelers and did not return. He did not play in the team’s second exhibition against the Jaguars, but team officials said he was being rested. McClure practiced last week with a brace on his right knee.
Joe Hawley, a second-round draft pick from UNLV last season, played in McClure's spot against the Steelers. He figures to start the season-opener if McClure is unable to play.
Injury report
Cornerback Dunta Robinson (hamstring), defensive end Lawrence Sidbury (ankle) and defensive tackle Corey Peters (knee), who all missed Saturday's game, worked with trainers Monday. Their status for Thursday is undetermined. Center Rob Bruggeman (concussion protocol) also missed practice Monday.
Running back Michael Turner and kicker Matt Bryant also missed practice for personal reasons, according to Smith.
Cuts coming
The Falcons must trim their roster by five players to the NFL-mandated 80 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Several players on the bubble did not play Saturday. They were wide receiver Tim Buckley, safety Rafael Priest, linebackers Bear Woods and LaMarcus Thompson, offensive lineman Paul Fenaroli and defensive linemen Tom McCarthy, Carlton Powell and Kiante Tripp.
Rosters must be trimmed to 53 players by Sept. 3. Teams may sign eight players to the practice squad on Sept. 5.
Position battles
With two starting positions still up for grabs, several players will get more playing time in Thursday finale than would normally be the case in an exhibition finale. The biggest competition continues to be for the starting right guard position between Garrett Reynolds and Mike Johnson.
Smith said he expects Johnson to get more snaps this week. Johnson missed the exhibition opener with concussion symptoms and the coaching staff is trying to get an equal look at each player against the opposing first-team defense.
“There are certain competitions that we need to continue to evaluate because at this point we don’t really have clear-cut winners on who will be the starters,” Smith said.
Christopher Owens and Dominique Franks are battling for the nickel back spot.
More time for Edwards
Another player who could see extended time Thursday is defensive end Ray Edwards. The free-agent signee made his exhibition debut against the Steelers after missing the first two games following offseason knee surgery.
“That is something we would like to do in terms of getting him up to speed,” Smith said of Edwards’ anticipated playing time. “I thought that there were some things that Ray did very well [in his debut]. It’s hard to judge the first game back. You can see his explosiveness. It was first-game rust that you see on all the guys and that’s why we’d like to get him some more snaps this week.”
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