The Falcons will be without one of their top cornerbacks the rest of the way. Isaiah Oliver suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to Washington and will miss the rest of the season, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.
Oliver, who is in a contract year, is set to undergo surgery Wednesday, Ledbetter adds. The former second-round pick played 81% of Atlanta’s defensive snaps in the Falcons' Week 3 win and has been a starter for much of his career.
This represents a major blow for Oliver, who had fared better to start his fourth season. After back-to-back rough years, Oliver will head to IR having rated as a top-15 cornerback (per Pro Football Focus). The Colorado alum allowed quarterbacks to complete 66% and 70% of their passes, respectively, in 2019 and ’20. This season, albeit in a smaller sample size, passers have connected on only 53% of the passes thrown in Oliver’s direction. Oliver, 25, has also forced a fumble this season.
Atlanta has 2020 first-round pick A.J. Terrell and offseason pickup Fabian Moreau as its top corners. Fourth- and fifth-round rookies Darren Hall and Avery Williams might also see more time as a result of Oliver’s injury. Williamson stepped into a larger role in Week 4, with Oliver’s injury leading to the Day 3 rookie playing 50 defensive snaps Sunday.
The Falcons are also placing punter Cameron Nizialek on IR due to a hamstring injury. They promoted recently acquired punter Dustin Colquitt to their active roster earlier Tuesday.
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