Falcons safety Wilcox suffers ACL injury

The Atlanta Falcons reportedly lost some of their safety depth during Monday’s practice.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, J.J. Wilcox suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2019 campaign. Rapoport noted the Georgia Southern product was expected to be Atlanta’s third safety once the season started.

The Falcons signed Wilcox to a one-year deal this offseason after he spent time with the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets last season. The veteran entered the league in 2013 when the Dallas Cowboys selected him with a third-round pick, and he spent his first four years with the NFC East team before playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017.

Wilcox has six interceptions in his career, three of which came during the 2014 campaign.

The numbers don’t jump out, but Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk noted “he was trying to make the roster as a backup safety, competing with Sharrod Neasman, Ryan Neal, Jason Thompson, Parker Baldwin and Chris Cooper.”

Atlanta still has Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal locked in as the starting safeties but will be hard-pressed to make up for their loss of production should one suffer an injury.

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The loss of Wilcox puts additional pressure on the other defensive backs competing for the backup safety roles.

Wilcox is scheduled to get a second opinion on his right knee to determine the severity. The Falcons won’t address the injury until coach Dan Quinn meets with the media following Tuesday’s practice.

Following Monday’s practice, Quinn did not address the injuries suffered by both Wilcox and reserve defensive lineman Michael Bennett, who appeared to injure his right ankle while being blocked by rookie first-round right guard Chris Lindstrom. Two members of the athletic performance staff helped Bennett off the field.

The Falcons don’t want to have a repeat of last year in terms of injuries. They saw six starters — Devonta Freeman, Andy Levitre, Brandon Fusco, Deion Jones, Allen and Neal — go on injured reserve, with Jones the only one to return to the lineup before season’s end.

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