The Falcons will soon be adding some depth to their secondary. According to 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 active roster.
Fuller joined the Falcons on a one-year contract this past offseason. This followed a one-year stop in Carolina, where he started all nine of his appearances while missing a chunk of games thanks to a hamstring injury. The former sixth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Rams, where he quickly emerged as a starting safety.
Besides an injury-plagued 2022 campaign, Fuller otherwise started 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 four interceptions, with Pro Football Focus grading him as an above-average safety during those two campaigns.
While Fuller started Week 1, he mostly played behind Xavier Watts in that contest. The rookie third-round pick has since solidified himself in the starting lineup opposite Jessie Bates, meaning Fuller is eyeing a similar backup role when he’s ready 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.