The Atlanta Falcons received their fourth loss of the season on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and also lost defensive lineman Grady Jarrett for the season. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Jarrett tore his ACL against the Titans, which means the former Clemson standout is headed for surgery and rehab after eight weeks.
The veteran suffered the ACL injury on the fourth play of the game on Sunday. After a trip to the locker room, he returned to the sideline for the second half but wore street clothes, indicating he was out for at least the remainder of the game. As it turns out, his
Jarrett is one of just two Falcons players on the defense who’ve been with the organization since 2020. He has 120 starts in 135 games played with 443 tackles, 68 tackles for loss and 34 sacks.
Next man up for Atlanta following Jarrett’s ACL tear
So far this season, he racked up 23 tackles with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss in seven games. He didn’t get a chance to record a stat before exiting the game versus Tennessee.
“He’s a leader in this locker room,” teammate Jessie Bates III said Sunday. “But his voice will still be out there. We’ll be all right.”
Jarrett’s fellow defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham also expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to make up for the vet’s productivity. Luckily for Atlanta, the defensive line talent runs deep on the roster.
“Foundationally, how we run the defense in general, I don’t think it’ll change much,” Graham told ESPN on Sunday. “I think maybe small details here and there that might come from him.
“I think it is going to be the next man up mentality if he happens to be out or whatever the case may be, I think the next person will step up and fill in as best as they can.”
Since joining the Falcons via the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Jarrett has missed very little time on the field due to injury. For his steadfastness, the team has paid him handsomely. He signed a three-year extension of his contract for $50.47 million in May of 2022. His previous deal was for four years, $68 million.
Following his injury on Sunday, the Falcons staff slotted in LaCale London to take the majority of Jarrett’s reps. London is in his fourth season in the league after signing with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
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