The Atlanta Falcons placed center Drew Dalman on injured reserve on Tuesday after he suffered an ankle injury during a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dalman got hurt on Sunday night in the second quarter while blocking for Bijan Robinson on a 2-yard run. Ryan Neuzil stepped in at center and played the rest of the game, which the Chiefs won 22-17.
The Falcons (1-2) will host the New Orleans Saints this Sunday.
Right tackle Kaleb McGary also left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury, leaving Atlanta without two starters on the offensive line for most of the match. The Falcons have not yet given an update on McGary’s condition.
With a makeshift line that included Storm Norton replacing McGary, the Falcons had difficulty protecting quarterback Kirk Cousins and struggled to create running lanes.
Cousins was sacked twice and hit ten times, while Robinson was stopped for a 3-yard loss on a crucial fourth-and-1 play in the final minute, sealing the Chiefs’ victory.
With Dalman sidelined, the Falcons promoted lineman Elijah Wilkinson from the practice squad to the active roster. Wilkinson played for the Arizona Cardinals last season after starting nine games at left guard for the Falcons in 2022.
Atlanta also re-signed former starting center Matt Hennessy, a third-round pick in 2020 who had not been successful, placing him on the practice squad.
Hennessy started all 17 games for the Falcons in 2021 but lost his job the next season. He did not play at all in 2023 after being put on injured reserve and was released by the Philadelphia Eagles before this season began.
