The Falcons, who have two players on the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, are closing in on a 100% vaccination rate.
“We feel really good,” coach Arthur Smith said Thursday after his team’s first practice of training camp. “We’ve got a very high vaccination rate.”
Fewer than five of the Falcons’ 90 players aren’t vaccinated.
“Obviously, when you put guys on the COVID-IR, it could be a couple of different things,” Smith said. “You’ll see some guys back sooner than others.”
Entering training camp, the Falcons were one of 10 teams with over a 90% vaccination rate.
“We’re in different spots with the team,” Smith said. “There’s a big portion that are fully vaccinated. We’ve got guys that are waiting after their second shot. We have a couple that are in-between, and we only have a handful that haven’t gotten it yet. We feel really good about where we are at.”
Smith said the Falcons did the soft-sell approach with the players.
“We just made it available,” Smith said. “Told them what the facts are. Didn’t try to pander. Go speak to the medical professionals, and make your own choice. So we feel pretty good about where we are.”
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