The Atlanta Falcons placed Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Hayward on injured reserve Tuesday with a shoulder injury.
Hayward, 33, will have to miss at least four weeks, but the Falcons are worried it might be longer. Coach Arthur Smith said Monday the injury could be “long-term.”
Hayward sustained the injury in the second half of Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers. He left the game and did not return. Starting CB A.J. Terrell (thigh) also left the game and didn’t return, but that injury doesn’t appear as serious.
Tight end MyCole Pruitt took Hayward’s spot on the active roster.
Hayward has 17 tackles and one interception in six starts this season, his first in Atlanta. He has 25 career interceptions with four teams and is a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2016, 2017). He was a second-round pick of Green Bay in the 2012 draft.
Also Tuesday, the Falcons signed DL Jalen Dalton and ILB Dorian Etheridge to the practice squad and released DL Kobe Smith from the unit.
The Falcons (3-3) visit Cincinnati (3-3) in Week 7.
–Field Level Media
