The Falcons will soon be adding some depth to their secondary. In line with Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the team designated Jordan Fuller for return from injured reserve today.
Fuller suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that landed him on injured reserve. The veteran only required a minimum four-game stay on IR before returning to practice. The team now has 21 days to activate Fuller to the energetic roster.
Fuller joined the Falcons on a one-year contract this past offseason. This followed a one-year stop in Carolina, where he began all nine of his appearances while missing a piece of games because of a hamstring injury. The previous sixth-round pick spent the primary 4 seasons of his profession with the Rams, where he quickly emerged as a starting safety.
Besides an injury-plagued 2022 campaign, Fuller otherwise began all 45 of his appearances for the organization. During his final two healthy seasons in Los Angeles (2021 and 2023), the defensive back collected 207 total tackles and 4 interceptions, with Pro Football Focus grading him as an above-average safety during those two campaigns.
While Fuller began Week 1, he mostly played behind Xavier Watts in that contest. The rookie third-round pick has since solidified himself within the starting lineup opposite Jessie Bates, meaning Fuller is eyeing an analogous backup role when he’s able to return. Billy Bowman Jr. likely represents the veteran’s competition for snaps. Bowman saw some significant reps for the team prior to the bye (mostly at cornerback), although he was a healthy scratch when the team returned in Week 6.