Atlanta, GA
Cowboys vs Falcons: Atlanta faces injuries and kicker questions
Falcons Have Several Starters on Injury Report Before Facing Cowboys – Daniel Flick, Sports Illustrated
Injuries are also an issue for Atlanta this week.
The Atlanta Falcons’ first injury report before their Week 9 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys consists of several key players.
Three players did not participate in Atlanta’s practice Wednesday, headlined by All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom. The Falcons were also without a pair of rookies in second-round defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and fifth-round linebacker JD Bertrand.
Lindstrom suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s 31-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Falcons coach Raheem Morris said postgame he was cleared to return. Lindstrom said in the locker room afterwards he expected to be fine for the Cowboys.
Bertrand (concussion) and Orhorhoro (ankle) also sustained injuries against Tampa Bay. Orhorhoro exited the game in the third quarter and did not return, and his status for Sunday appears bleak, according to Morris.
“We’ll have to see a little bit more, see what’s going on in the day,” Morris said Wednesday. “Not looking great.”
Atlanta had seven players limited. Some, like safety Justin Simmons (hamstring) and linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) were expected, as they’ve been battling pre-existing injuries for multiple weeks and did not play against Tampa Bay.
Others, however, are a touch more interesting to monitor.
Linebacker Kaden Elliss injured his knee vs. the Buccaneers, and while he returned the following drive, he was limited Wednesday. Nickel cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. has endured a back injury for several weeks — he was active against Tampa Bay and “made it through the game fairly well,” Morris said.
The Mailbox: Keeping the faith in Younghoe Koo and finding pass rush help – Will McFadden, AtlantaFalcons.com
Atlanta has something Dallas doesn’t have… questions about their kicker.
Will S. from Summerville, Ga.
Should we be worried about Koo?
Will: It’s a fair question to ask after the normally reliable kicker has missed four kicks in the Falcons’ last four games. Having talked to Younghoe Koo several times over the years, I can assure you he is one of the coolest customers I’ve ever met. He is never too high and never too low, and that’s exactly the type of even-keeled nature I’d want in a kicker. Matt Bryant was that way, too.
It’s worth pointing out that all four of those misses were from beyond 40 yards, including two from at least 50 yards away. Those are obviously going to be a bit more difficult. It’s also worth noting, though, that this year Koo set a new career-high with his 58-yard, game-winning kick against the Saints. His previous best was 54 yards, a distance he’s connected from twice this year already.
Koo has also done a great job articulating different elements of his kicking process and he is a bonafide expert at breaking down the mechanics. That all leads me to believe he knows the corrections to make. Again, I get the question, but at this point I still have plenty of faith.
3 Roster needs the Atlanta Falcons should address ahead of NFL trade deadline – Nick Halden, BloggingDirty.com
Taking a look at positions the Falcons could pursue at the trade deadline.
1. Edge rusher
The Atlanta Falcons have known they needed an elite edge rusher for the last two years. If the team believed they were true contenders, you needed to add at least one consistent edge rushing option. Instead, the team used their first round picks on two positions already filled and focused their free agent signings on continuing to build the offense.
2. Linebacker
The argument against making a move here is the hope a healthy Troy Andersen returns and fixes your problems. However, that is the same logic offered to Nate Landman returning to Atlanta’s lineup. Since his return, it has been clear that something isn’t right with the Atlanta starter. He appears to be a step slow and isn’t finishing plays as well as he was prior to the injury.
3. Receiver depth
Atlanta’s starting trio has been great with Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Ray-Ray McCloud all playing far above expectations. Still, the Falcons should be considering adding depth to a unit that would struggle to deal with an injury. KhaDarel Hodge and rookie Casey Washington are the team’s current depth pieces. Washington is yet to take the field consistently and Hodge is a career special teams player.
Though to be fair to Hodge, when the receiver was put in one of the season’s biggest moments, he delivered with a touchdown catch and run to beat Tampa in their first matchup. Still, the Falcons have reason to feel they need to improve the position and add a veteran that could step in and contribute rotating with McCloud.
You don’t want to take his speed off the field consistently but having a capable veteran able to step into that role would be a wise move. It protects the Falcons from injuries to the position as well giving much-needed depth. It isn’t going to be high on Atlanta’s priority list but considering the low price of receiver trades around the league it is at least worth serious consideration.
When the Hawks were picking at No. 23 last night, one of the players that was on the board and thought to be in consideration was North Carolina center Henri Veesaar. Veesaar was one of the top centers at the point in the draft and would have been a totally reasonable pick for Atlanta at No. 23. However, Atlanta selected Saint John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor, and Veesaar slipped out of the first round altogether.
Veesaar continued to take an unexpected tumble in this year’s draft and was facing a lot of criticism about his decision to leave college for the NBA, spurning lots of NIL money in the process and falling farther than anyone thought.
His fall ended at No. 52, however, when the Atlanta Hawks traded up from No. 57 to select him. Veesaar becomes the third draft pick for the Hawks in this year’s draft, joining a class that includes Houston PG Kingston Flemings and the aforementioned Ejiorfor.
Now that the Hawks have another big man on their roster, how does he fit and what kind of grade should Atlanta get for selecting him
First thoughts on Veesaar
There was some criticism about the Hawks taking Ejiofor last night, not because of his skillset necessarily, but because he was another undersized big.
Veesaar stands at 6’11, 227 LBS and he is going to give the Hawks size on the interior, strong rebounding, and can stretch the floor as a big, which is a skill that the Hawks value.
After transferring to North Carolina from Arizona, Veesaar proceeded to have the best season of his college career. He started 31 games for the Tar Heels and averaged 17.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG while shooting 62% from the floor and 43% from three. Veesaar had decent volume as a three point shooter as well averaging three attempts per game.
There is a lot to like about how he is going to translate to the NBA level. There is one big concern with Veesaar and it is his defense.
If there is one on-court reason Veesaar slipped this far in the draft, it is because he is quite a poor defender. He lacks quickness and lateral movement as a rim protector, does not operate well in space, and is going to be targeted heavily at the next level. For him to become a viable big in the NBA, even if just a backup, Veesaar is going to have to become a much better defender.
Still, his skillset on offense is a huge plus this late in the draft.
The Hawks are going to have some decisions to make with their roster and there is no guarantee that Veesaar is going to make it on a guaranteed contract. I think this is a wonderful pick though by the Hawks, as he fills a huge need and was the best player available by far.
The Atlanta front office continues to preach best player available and this selection is further proof of that.
Grade: A-
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In a shocking turn of events up North in Minnesota, Julius Randle was just moved – for nothing.
In fact, the Timberwolves had to trade down in the 2026 NBA Draft in order to offload Randle’s negatively-viewed contract. A once All-NBA 2nd-Team player, Randle’s fall from grace is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Amidst the loss of a seriously talented player who fell victim to a league enthralled with cap flexibility, the Timberwolves can only look on in envy to the Atlanta Hawks – the very team that stole their apparent alternative out from under them last summer.
Julius Randle’s shocking negative value in the new CBA
Ten years ago, Julius Randle’s contract (adjusted for inflation, at least) would not have resulted in a negative-value trade as it did in 2026.
With the new collective bargaining agreement, teams must now be ultra-focused on creating cap flexibility for themselves moving forward – especially when other players are due a pay day on their squad.
The Timberwolves have a large chunk of their cap space eaten up by Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert – a very talented duo at the guard and center positions. This leaves the rest of the roster limited room to work with. Needing to extend Ayo Dosunmu (which happened immediately after the Randle trade), Randle was ultimately dealt away, purely to create room for the rest of the roster.
While the Wolves lost Randle, it unfortunately could have all been prevented if they had made another choice last season – choosing Nickeil Alexander-Walker over the older Randle.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s value transcends his presence on the court
Outside of the tantalizing abilities that NAW exhibited on a nightly basis en route to earning MIP honors in the 2025-2026 season for the Hawks, his value is far, far greater thanks to the steal of a deal that Onsi Saleh negotiated last summer.
At nearly the same time that Julius Randle was inking the very contract that led to his parting from the Wolves, Alexander-Walker was agreeing to a deal that would secure his place in Atlanta on an incredibly team-friendly deal through at least 2027-2028.
Alexander-Walker’s $15M/yr deal was less than half of what Randle agreed to. A year separated from both contracts being finalized, and the consensus around NAW and Randle couldn’t be more disparate.
While Randle’s inefficient offense hindered his squad time and again, Alexander-Walker’s two-way play headlined by his stellar perimeter defense and lights-out three-point shooting skyrocketed him towards near All-Star levels of play.
Thanks entirely to both the Timberwolves’ inability to recognize the gift right in front of them and the Hawks’ keen eye to spot a diamond in the rough, the two franchises are miles apart this Summer. While Atlanta vies for contention atop the wide-open Eastern Conference, the Timberwolves may be struggling to retain their franchise superstar.
Will Anthony Edwards finally be on the move after a saga of blunders from his front office? Doubtfully anytime soon. But when his time in Minnesota inevitably reaches its conclusion, the Hawks must be ready – the Atlanta native Antman no doubt sees the Hawks as a top alternative.
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