Falcons place center Drew Dalman on injured reserve with ankle issue

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons placed center Drew Dalman on injured reserve Tuesday after he went down with an ankle issue in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dalman was hurt Sunday night during the second quarter while blocking for Bijan Robinson on a 2-yard run. Ryan Neuzil took over at center and went the rest of the game, won by the Chiefs 22-17.

The Falcons (1-2) host the New Orleans Saints this Sunday.

Right tackle Kaleb McGary also left during the second quarter of the Chiefs game, sustaining a knee injury that deprived Atlanta of two starters on the offensive line for the majority of the contest. The Falcons haven’t provided an update on McGary’s status.

The makeshift line, with Storm Norton taking over for McGary, struggled to protect quarterback Kirk Cousins and failed to provide many holes for the running game. Cousins was sacked twice and hit 10 times, while Robinson was thrown for a 3-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 play in the final minute to seal the Chiefs’ victory.

With Dalman out, the Falcons promoted lineman Elijah Wilkinson to the active roster from the practice squad. Wilkinson played for the Arizona Cardinals last season after starting nine games at left guard for the Falcons in 2022.

Atlanta also brought back former starting center Matt Hennessy, a third-round pick in 2020 who failed to pan out, signing him to the practice squad.

Hennessey started all 17 games for the Falcons in 2021, only to lose his job the following season. He didn’t play at all in 2023 after going on injured reserve and was released by the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of this season.

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