Falcons place RB Trey Sermon on injured reserve

The Atlanta Falcons placed running back Trey Sermon on injured reserve on Wednesday, according to the NFL transactions report cited by Yahoo Sports. The move removes the veteran back from active availability while the club continues shaping its depth chart ahead of the regular season.

Sermon joined the Falcons on Aug. 10. In his limited preseason action, he recorded one carry for 3 yards in last week’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos. That short usage reflects how quickly Atlanta’s staff moved to get a look at multiple options, and how Sermon’s time in a Falcons uniform was cut off by the roster decision.

In practical roster terms, an injured reserve designation changes how a team manages its running back rotation, especially early in the season when teams work to stabilize core roles. Atlanta will need other backs to absorb more carries and reps, whether that means expanding the workload of established runners or giving additional opportunities to players who were previously working in a deeper backup tier.

The Falcons’ backfield picture has been built around balancing veteran production with development from the margins. Sermon’s placement on IR tightens the margin for error for the team’s depth group, because it reduces one of the available bodies during a critical time window for game-planning, weekly workload management, and special teams contribution from the running back position.

For Sermon, being placed on injured reserve also means the return timeline will hinge on his recovery plan rather than preseason timing or short-term execution. Even when a player sees only a small sample during a preseason game, the IR move indicates that the team does not expect him to contribute immediately during the next phase of the season.

What to watch next is how Atlanta responds in the running back rotation. The most immediate indicators will come from how the team distributes carry opportunities and practice work in the days following the transaction, and whether the Falcons increase usage of the backs who were previously in lower-leverage roles. Those decisions can also affect weekly game plans, particularly in sequences that rely on consistent rushing volume to set up play-action passing.

The transaction also highlights a broader preseason dynamic: even late signings can be drawn into a team’s evaluation process, but roster health can override the momentum that comes from a strong impression on the practice field or a small preseason performance. With Sermon now on injured reserve, Atlanta will be forced to pivot quickly and reconfigure its depth chart for the opening stretch.