Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jeff Okudah was carted off the field with an ankle injury at Friday’s practice.
The severity of the injury was not immediately known for Okudah, who was defending wide receiver Frank Darby during a 1-on-1 drill.
“We’ll have more after he gets done with an MRI,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Hopefully it’s optimistic and he’ll be back out there. It’s kinda where we’re at and I hate to be that vague, and it isn’t like being vague for competitive reasons or whatever. … I just won’t know until he gets the MRI.”
Okudah was the No. 3 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in 2020 out of Ohio State, where he was the first Buckeyes cornerback to earn unanimous All-America honors.
The Lions’ offseason signings of projected starters Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley made Okudah expendable and Detroit dealt him to Atlanta in April for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Okudah, 24, is entering the final season of his four-year, $33.5 million rookie contract and will be eligible for free agency after the season.
Okudah played in just 10 games (seven starts) combined in his first two seasons, slowed as a rookie by hamstring and core muscle injuries. He suffered a ruptured Achilles on the first day of the 2021 season.
In 2022, he played in 15 games (all starts) and tallied 73 tackles, seven passes defensed, an interception, a forced fumble and his first NFL touchdown.
–Field Level Media
