Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Storm Norton reverted to season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday, per team reporter Terrin Waack, the first player in the league to do so this season.
Norton landed on IR with a return designation during final roster cuts after undergoing ankle surgery in the preseason. He returned to practice on Oct. 22 and was a full practice participant right away. He then re-aggravated the injury the following week and has not practiced since. His 21-day practice window expired on Wednesday, forcing him to watch the rest of the season from the sidelines.
Head coach Raheem Morris declined to give details on Norton’s setback, but acknowledged that “it wasn’t great news.”
The Falcons already lost starting right tackle Kaleb McGary for the year after he suffered a leg injury in training camp. That was a major loss for Atlanta’s offensive line, especially considering McGary’s job to protect left-handed quarterback Michael Penix‘s blind side. The team has relied on Elijah Wilkinson to fill McGary’s spot, but he has allowed 30 pressures, the fifth-most among all offensive tackles this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Norton would not necessarily have been an upgrade. His only full year as a starter came in 2021 for the Chargers, when he allowed 59 pressures, the second-most by an offensive tackle that season and the third-most in a single season since 2019. Since then, he has only started four games, though he still could have pushed Wilkinson for his job.
Atlanta also placed fourth-year linebacker DeAngelo Malone on IR on Wednesday. He suffered a broken ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts and underwent surgery on Monday. Malone will miss at least four games, but his absence could be longer, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 2022 third-round pick is a core special teams contributor who has not had more than a peripheral role on defense since his rookie year.
In other Falcons news, linebacker Malik Verdon was designated to return from the non-football injury list. The team signed the former Iowa State safety as an undrafted rookie with the intention of converting him to linebacker in Jeff Ulbrich‘s defense. Verdon played through an arm injury during his last year of college, but it is unknown if it is related to the shoulder issue that landed him on the NFI list in July.
Finally, Atlanta signed safety Jammie Robinson to their practice squad. The 2023 fifth-round pick appeared in 21 games for the Carolina Panthers over his first two years, primarily on special teams. He was waived before the end of his second season and has since spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions, though he has not played this year. He will add special teams depth in Atlanta, which may come in handy with Malone sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Every Boston Red Sox fan lives in fear of offseason inaction.
It’s what the Red Sox dealt with for five years, essentially from the first moment after Mookie Betts got traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers (with whom he’s now won three World Series rings). Last offseason was a refreshing break, but the fear that the Red Sox could go back to not spending, especially as it pertains to losing Alex Bregman, is omnipresent.
But even if Bregman returns , the Red Sox still need more thump. They were 23rd in home runs after the Rafael Devers trade, a stat that can’t be hammered home often enough. Counting on Trevor Story to lead the team in home runs is not a winning formula.
Therefore, any sign that the Red Sox could sign two power hitters is a good sign, and on Wednesday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow delivered at least a lukewarm endorsement to the idea.
Speaking at the Major League Baseball general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas, Breslow was asked directly about the possibility of adding two big bats to the lineup.
“We could,” Breslow said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “I think we’re going to be open to every conceivable path to improving the team. Specifically what that looks like or who the names are that fill those roles, I think we’ll see how the offseason plays out.”
The Red Sox don’t have an excuse not to spend, because they originally greenlit two more years of Bregman at $40 million per year while Devers was still on the roster. One can say extending Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony may have eaten into some of those savings a tiny bit, but at a minimum, the Red Sox should be able to add about $50 million to the payroll, which could enough to sign two impact bats.
Obviously, Breslow isn’t saying anything will happen. But we’ve seen a bit of a tone change from him since the season ended. He’s still leaving his options open, as usual, but there seems to be more of a declarative notion that the Red Sox are going after big fish only.
Sadly, time is the only way to learn what that means when it comes to ink on paper.