“He’s Back,” as Atlanta Falcons CB Jeff Okudah puts it, making the most of his fresh start
Jeff Okudah, a cornerback with the Atlanta Falcons, is having a career season after missing the first two weeks due to a foot ailment.
Howell’s pass fell incomplete. Okudah celebrated as defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ran up to him. In that moment, Okudah was officially back.
“That was really impressive,” Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. “The drive, the break … That play stands out, it’s like he was off, he drove, he had conviction. I saw that in practice, and you’re like ‘okay, now let’s just keep progressing with that more during the game’ …
“But that play was like, ‘Man, gosh, he’s back quick.'”
Okudah’s re-emergence has multiple layers to it, the first being his status as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft but hardly living up to expectations with the Detroit Lions.
Across three injury-plagued seasons, Okudah recorded 124 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defended while playing in 25 total games.
Acquired via trade for a fifth-round pick this spring, Okudah was thrust into the starting role in Atlanta’s defense.
Much of the offseason talk surrounding him was that a change of scenery would prove beneficial, and he was en route to proving that during training camp when he was carted off Aug. 4 with a right foot injury. The Falcons firmly entered “hold your breath” territory for 24 hours.
This is where the other big layer of Okudah’s emergence appears.
Any time the cart is brought out, minds immediately wander to season-ending injury status … but Okudah dodged that bullet and instead was given a timeline to return early in the season.
That proved true, as the 24-year-old made his Falcons debut in Week 3 – back against the Lions at Ford Field. He played only 11 defensive snaps in Atlanta’s 20-6 loss, but the focus was on getting his feet wet, a mission that was certainly accomplished.
The week after, Okudah drew the starting nod in London versus the Jacksonville Jaguars and saw his snaps increase to 49, which was nearly 75 percent of Atlanta’s total defensive reps.
In the two games since, Okudah has played every single defensive snap, capping off a quick recovery and overcoming a lack of training camp and preseason action to become an integral part of the Falcons’ ascending secondary.
“How quickly he’s come back from that time off and he’s seven weeks off and then all of a sudden he’s out there, he’s starting, he’s making plays,” Nielsen said. “He made a few plays, his confidence is growing, getting back—you know you have to play the game—the confidence and things like that (to) make them plays in practice.”