Falcons place DL LaCale London on injured reserve

The defensive tackle had made an impact in a short time with Atlanta, but now he’ll be out at least a few games.

Atlanta’s injury luck is taking a turn for the worse, and unfortunately, a lot of the damage is concentrated along the defensive line.

Per Arthur Smith, LaCale London is now headed to injured reserve, putting him out for at least four weeks. It’s a blow to this line’s depth, and it robs the team of a player who had been productive and useful after being flexed from the practice squad and ultimately signed to the roster over the course of the past few weeks.

London is likely the corresponding move for the addition of Travis Bell, who was signed off the Bears’ practice squad on Tuesday. Bell will get into the mix for snaps on the interior with several other players, who now have the tall task of replacing Grady Jarrett and London after both players went on injured reserve this week. Ta’Quon Graham, Calais Campbell, Kentavius Street, Albert Huggins, and perhaps weekly inactive Joe Gaziano will all figure into the picture as Atlanta tries to slow down Alex Mattison Sunday and get interior pressure on rookie quarterback Jaren Hall.

The Falcons are in a tight spot right now, and the hope will be that with Hall under center for the Vikings and the spark Taylor Heinicke will provide on offense, they can win this one and figure out the rotation on their defensive line for the long haul. We wish London well on his recovery and hope to see him this year, and we’ll hope the next men up can do well in his stead.