FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (right knee) and defensive end Ta’Quon Graham (left knee) will be out for at least four weeks after being placed on injured reserve Monday.
Pitts suffered damage to his medial collateral ligament in the Falcons’ 27-24 win over the Bears on Sunday.
Graham will also be out after he went down with a left knee medial collateral ligament injury in the second quarter. He was carted off the field.
Both players will be out for the short term, Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Monday. Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot reviewed the situation and placed them on IR.
“Still haven’t confirmed with Kyle or TQ,” Smith said. “Obviously, there is a lot of stuff floating around. Until you get through all of the doctors and all of the opinions, we won’t have a final word, but both of those guys will be out, at least in the short term.”
There have been several reports on the severity of the injury to Pitts, including one from NFL media that stated he will likely require surgery.
The Falcons claimed defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson off waivers from Houston. Also, the Falcons signed tight end John Raine to the team’s practice squad and placed offensive guard Justin Shaffer on injured reserve/practice squad with a foot injury.
Earlier in the day, Smith said they’ll review the full set of medical options for both players.
“I think in the MCL sprain, (that is) actually what happens,” said Smith, when asked if there was a tear. “There are varying degrees (based on) where they are on the knee. That’s why I’ll let the medical experts handle it.”
The Falcons (5-6) are set to play the Commanders (6-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Maryland.
In the win over the Bears, Pitts caught 3 of 5 targets for 43 yards, including a long of 18 yards, before being injured after taking a hit in the third quarter. Pitts went down in pain after the hit. He recovered, popped up and ran off the field.
“I thought MyCole Pruitt and Parker (Hesse) played really well,” Smith said. “We have other options. We’ll see where Feleipe (Franks is) at. (Anthony) Firkser. We’ll find a way. Everybody is dealing with something around the league.”
Franks has missed the past two games with a calf injury.
Pitts has caught 28 of 59 targets (47.5%) for 356 yards and two touchdowns this season. He has three dropped passes, according to profootballreference.com. Pitts caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards last season as a rookie with Matt Ryan at quarterback.
“He’s had such a huge impact on this team,” Smith said. “I know the numbers aren’t as gaudy as they were as (a) rookie. He’s been playing through a lot. He’s a tough, tough guy. He’s had a huge impact. His hamstring (wasn’t) 100% earlier in the year.
“In Seattle, he was really rolling, and then he was slowed down by a hamstring. The guy has been out there fighting with his teammates. People just look at the stats, but his impact on us winning has been enormous.”
Pitts was not present during the open locker room session Monday. The Falcons are not likely to rush Pitts back into the lineup because of his importance to the future of the franchise.
“There are certainly times where we haven’t been in sync among other things,” Smith said. “The way we’ve had to play at times, you’re going to sacrifice some passing numbers. But the guy is a great teammate. He doesn’t pout like a lot of guys with that amount of hype because he’s a real person. That’s why we love him. A real teammate. That’s why the future is really bright, that’s why we are so excited about him in this organization.”
Graham had stepped forward to help stabilize the defensive line and give Pro Bowl defensive end Grady Jarrett some help up front. He beat out Marlon Davidson for the position. Davidson has since been released.
Graham played in 48 games with 24 starts from 2017-20 at Texas. He was the 148th player picked in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Graham, 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, has started 9 of 11 games this season and has played 471 defensive snaps (62%). He has 34 tackles and eight quarterback hits.
Timmy Horne, Abdullah Anderson and Jalen Dalton split Graham’s snaps.
“The way we practice, we have to make sure that we know everything,” said Horne, who played 27 defensive snaps against the Bears. “The plays and stuff, just in case something bad happens.”
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Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11: Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18: Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 at Washington, 1 p.m.
Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 at New Orleans, TBD
Dec. 24 at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Jan. 1 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, TBD
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