The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Smith mulls how to replace Oliver at nickel back
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons are considering their options to replace nickel back Isaiah Oliver, who suffered a knee injury that will require surgery.
The Falcons (1-3) are set to play the New York Jets (1-3) at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
“There are a lot of different ways. … It’s unfortunate,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday. “Obviously Isaiah, I can’t say enough good things about him as a pro and as a teammate. He’s one of the guys I really enjoyed when I got here. He really bought in.”
Oliver, who was drafted in the second round (58th overall) of the 2018 draft, has played in 50 games and made 33 starts. He had 11 tackles this season, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit.
Avery Williams, a rookie, took over for Oliver after he went down early in the second quarter Sunday after getting blocked by Washing- ton’s J.D. Mckissic.
Oliver has played 161 defen- sive snaps (59%) and 40 special-teams snaps (38%).
“He was having a good year,” Smith said. “That’s kind of the crappy part about this game. We all know the risks, but it is still very unfortunate. He won’t be around the rest of the season.”
The Falcons have some options at nickel back. They can stick with Williams or turn to Kendall Sheffield, who’s currently working his way back from the injured reserve list. Also, rookie safety Richie Grant could be an option.
Williams didn’t receive an endorsement for the job.
“Avery has done a good job,” Smith said. “He’s a good football player. Certainly, like all of us, there are play-calls I want back. There are certain plays I’m sure he wants back. He’s a rookie. He’s very smart, and he’s got a lot of smart foot
ball instincts.
“He stepped up at the end of the Giants game (the week before the Washington game) when Isaiah had cramps. Then obviously he stepped up last week. … Like I said, there is room for improvement with all of us. We have confidence in him or in whatever direction we decide to go.”
The Falcons could get linebacker Mykal Walker on the field and go with another alignment to replace Oliver.
“Others have to step up,” Smith said. “There are a number of ways to attack it. Sometimes you have to go one-forone when you have injuries. There are a lot of ways to do it. We can have multiple guys step up and play different roles. We feel good about the guys that we’ve got here.”
Smi h didn’t rule out Grant, who has not been playing on defense but has been contributing on special teams.
“Sure, all options are
the table,” Smith said. “Every option is on the table, and we feel pretty good about the plan. We have to go out there and implement it and see what it looks like in practice.”