Training camp may technically be over, but the Atlanta Falcons still have a few key position battles to settle before the 2019 season begins. Perhaps the biggest is at left guard between James Carpenter and Jamon Brown. So far, there hasn’t been any daylight between the two and they have been splitting snaps evenly.
Circumstances change quickly in the NFL, though. Just before Sunday’s scrimmage practice began, Carpenter was spotted limping off the field and dragging his right leg. After practice, head coach Dan Quinn told the media that Carpenter has a hip flexor injury. Today, Quinn gave an update, saying Carpenter is seeing a doctor about it and is getting an MRI. Vaughn McClure at ESPN says he’s hearing it’s only a minor quad injury, though.
In any case, Quinn promised an update tomorrow on Carpenter’s condition.
Even a minor injury could turn out to be a significant unfortunate turn for Carpenter, especially since Brown is taking advantage of the opportunity.
Quinn just told reporters that Brown had his best practice yet yesterday.
The competition is not over yet, but if Brown follows this up with a strong showing Thursday night against Miami, we can probably pencil him in as the starting left guard for now.
