The Falcons’ No. 2 wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (groin) and defensive end Adrian Clayborn (knee) were declared out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams by coach Dan Quinn on Friday.
The Falcons (7-5) are scheduled to face the Rams (4-8) at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team was set to fly to the West Coast on Friday to adjust to the time zone.
All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones (turf toe), left tackle Jake Matthews (sprained knee) and safety Robenson Therezie (ankle) were declared questionable.
“Jake practiced today and looked really good,” Quinn said. “We are very hopeful for him. (Julio) did some work in the walk-through, and we are going to take it all the way to Sunday and see what he looks like.”
Wide receiver is a position where the Falcons have proven depth. The tight ends and running backs also have been a big part of the passing game this season.
Jones, who has 72 catches for an NFL-leading 1,253 yards and five touchdowns, and Sanu, who has 49 catches for 521 yards and three touchdowns, are the team’s top two pass catchers. Earlier in the week, Quinn said that Taylor Gabriel would takeover the No. 2 slot if Sanu could not play.
Jones will be a game-time decision.
“We’ll do some of the stuff tomorrow at the walk-through,” Quinn said. “Then Sunday we’ll let him go out and run some full-speed routes, go through the process. It’s not the catching. We just want to see the full speed routes. That’s what the plan is. His intent is right to go out and play. We are anticipating that, but we’ll see where it goes on Sunday morning.”
With Jones and Sanu injured, the Falcons elevated wide receiver Nick Williams from the practice squad Friday and released cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson.
Williams played in 14 games last season and caught 17 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
“We like to feature him inside in the slot game,” Quinn said. “But he’s one of those guys who can play a number of different spots. He can work outside and he can work inside and we’ll count on that for the game. He’ll also have a role on special teams.”
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