The Atlanta Falcons may be without top cornerback A.J. Terrell for an undetermined number of games due to a hamstring injury. In the meantime, the team will have to lean on its improved pass rush to make up the difference and prove that this improved defense is anything but a mirage.
Losing Terrell is a significant blow. Had you asked me before the season to name three players the Falcons could least afford to lose for any considerable amount of time, Terrell would’ve undoubtedly been among them,
given how untested the Falcons’ secondary appeared outside Terrell and safety Jessie Bates. However, those concerns have been partially mitigated thanks to the early returns on rookies Billy Bowman and Xavier Watts, who have been very promising.
How capable is Mike Hughes in Terrell’s absence?
Yet the only proven option besides Terrell at cornerback is veteran Mike Hughes, who is the best of the failed, former early-round draft picks that the Falcons have cycled through opposite Terrell at cornerback over the years. As a former first-round pick, Hughes joins Darqueze Dennard, Jeff Okudah, Kevin King, and C.J. Henderson as corners who have found their way to Atlanta since the team drafted Terrell in 2020. Some of these players were added for depth, but others were meant to secure the No. 2 cornerback spot. Hughes is the only one to last more than a year, as he is beginning his third season with the Falcons.
Thanks to serviceable play and reliable tackling, Hughes has maintained a grip on a roster spot. But he still struggles against premium competition, evidenced by the two touchdowns given up to Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka in the Falcons’ Week 1 loss. While it is early, Egbuka appears to be on the path to becoming a very effective weapon in the NFL for many years to come.
The Falcons’ upcoming opponent, the Carolina Panthers, might also have an on-the-rise rookie receiver in Tetairoa McMillan. Also in Week 4, the Falcons face the Washington Commanders, who feature Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin at wide receiver, albeit knowing that both are off to slower-than-expected starts.
Hughes, while serviceable, has not performed at a level that merits confidence in his ability to lock down this caliber of receiver. Unfortunately, the Falcons don’t have better options to bring off the bench, despite corners of the fanbase that are still enthusiastically stockpiling futures for Clark Phillips, Cobee Bryant, and Natrone Brooks. Instead, the Falcons will hope that rookies Bowman and Watts can rise to the challenges that come with Terrell’s absence, along with Bates continuing to be a play-making fixture in the secondary.
Falcons pass rush must continue to win
The real solution to the Falcons’ secondary concerns rests on their pass rush continuing to get home. The Falcons have tallied seven sacks through two games, which currently ranks tied for fifth place in the NFL. According to Next Gen Stats, they’ve pressured opposing quarterbacks on 46 percent of their dropbacks, which ranks fourth in the NFL. If the team can maintain similar pressure rates for the foreseeable future, then it won’t matter what concerns they may have in the secondary with Terrell out of the lineup.
Especially since the Falcons are likely to employ more zone coverage, as they did in the second half of their Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings after Terrell was injured. Adequate zone coverage relies upon getting consistent pressure, often with just four players. That’s something the Falcons have failed to achieve for a very long time.
These next few games will be the best indicators for how improved the Falcons’ pass rush actually is, since it’ll need to carry the defense as a whole. That challenge begins on Sunday against Bryce Young and the Panthers. Since his benching in early 2024, Young has been one of the NFL’s better quarterbacks when under pressure. Over his final 10 starts in 2024, PFF graded him as the third-best passer while under pressure. He also ranked 13th in Expected Points Added (EPA) per dropback last year while under pressure according to Next Gen Stats, right behind quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. And he’s picked up where he left off in 2025, currently ranking 18th in EPA per dropback under pressure. Young’s 13 big-time throws while under pressure are the second most among quarterbacks since Week 8 of last year, when he regained his starting spot.
If the Falcons’ pass rush can keep Young and the Panthers offense in check this week, and also do the same the following week when facing Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, it’ll mark a huge turnaround for the defense. It’ll mean that opposing teams will have to begin taking the Falcons’ defense very seriously. Then, once Terrell returns healthy, they’ll have the potential to be a complete unit thanks to the expected boost on the back end. After that, it’s hard to know what comes next since having a complete defense is something few of us have ever experienced as Falcons fans. But there’s a first time for everything!
How confident are you that the new-and-improved Falcons pass rush can hold the fort with Terrell out of the lineup?
