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This past April, the Atlanta Falcons traded for CB Jeff Okudah from the Detroit Lions. The 24-year-old was the third pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and hasn’t lived up to his expectations. Injuries have plagued his career so far. Last season for the Lions he played in 15 games, but only played in 10 over his first two years.
Atlanta traded for Okudah this season with the plan for him to be the CB2 alongside AJ Terrell. However, Okudah injured his ankle early in practice today and had to be carted off the field. Head coach Arthur Smith said that Okudah is going to have an MRI done to determine the severity of the injury. He did not want to speculate.
Jeff Okudah has had an injury in three of his four NFL seasons
Bad news: #Falcons CB Jeff Okudah carted off practice field with a leg injury.
The former 3rd overall pick was traded from the #Lions this offseason to the Falcons
(📷 @evzntv) pic.twitter.com/QO0KUjgDhP
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 4, 2023
The former first-round pick was injured during one-on-one drills. When being helped on the cart to get off the field, Jeff Okudah was visibly emotional. While on the cart, a trainer was holding onto his right leg. As a rookie in 2020, he played in nine games. His season was cut short due to a groin injury that required surgery.
In his 2021 season, Okudah played in one game after rupturing his Achilles and missed the rest of the year. Last season was the healthiest he’s been as a pro, playing and starting in 15 games for the Lions. Atlanta has struggled to find a reliable starter year after year at their CB2 spot. In 2020 they had Isaiah Oliver, Fabian Moreau in 2021, and Casey Hayward in 2022. Jeff Okudah is slotted to be the CB2 this season, but he could end up missing time with an ankle injury.
After a word from Head Coach Arthur Smith the #Falcons entire secondary took a knee and said a prayer after CB Jeff Okudah was carted off the field #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/kmXK8VwYRY
— David Hickox (@DHickoxWSB) August 4, 2023
After practice today, Arthur Smith said the Falcons have a lot of good competition going on at CB. After Okudah left practice today, Trey Flowers took his spot with the starters. If Okudah is out long-term, someone is going to have to take over the CB2 job alongside AJ Terrell.
