Falcons activate Jake Matthews, Divine Deablo and Samson Ebukam; Za’Darius Smith ruled out for Week 5
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons released their Week 5 inactive list Sunday and confirmed left tackle Jake Matthews, inside linebacker Divine Deablo and defensive end Samson Ebukam will be active for Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons said Matthews was cleared to play, which will make this his 200th consecutive start for the team. The Falcons issued the inactives as they finalized their game-day roster.
The Falcons placed defensive end Za’Darius Smith on the inactives list after he was downgraded from questionable on Saturday. The team had originally listed Smith as questionable on Friday before the downgrade, the Falcons said. The Falcons said Smith is working through concussion protocol and is also listed with a neck injury.
The Falcons listed the following players as inactive: defensive end Za’Darius Smith; linebacker Christian Harris; quarterback Cooper Rush (emergency third quarterback); quarterback Jack Strand; offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa; defensive back Malcolm DeWalt IV; and defensive back Robert Longerbeam. The Falcons issued an official game-day release listing the inactive players. The team said those designations reflected its routine game-day roster decisions.
With Matthews cleared, he will guard the left side of the offensive line, and Deablo and Ebukam will be available to bolster the front seven against Baltimore. Smith’s absence removes a veteran edge presence and will require the Falcons to rely on rotation and depth up front, the team said. The Falcons will carry Cooper Rush as the emergency third quarterback behind their active roster for the game.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Activating Jake Matthews preserves continuity on the offensive line and marks a notable availability milestone with his 200th consecutive start. Za’Darius Smith’s absence removes a veteran pass rusher and places added emphasis on depth and rotation among the Falcons’ front-seven options. How the Falcons replace Smith’s snaps and pressure rates will be material to their ability to contain Baltimore’s offense on Sunday night.