Man, this is brutal. Falcons rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels suffered what looked like a truly serious neck injury today against the Bears, getting carted off the field on a stretcher after a collision that knocked him out of the game. The team announced he’s done for the day with a neck injury, which is tough enough, but this injury hits even harder for the Falcons because Daniels was already filling in as the defensive play-caller, a role he took over after Divine Deablo left the same game with an arm injury.
Collision on the Field, Teammates Visibly Shaken
The injury happened when Daniels tackled Bears tight end Colston Loveland. On the hit, Daniels’ facemask connected directly with Loveland’s knee. You never want to see a player stay down like that, and Daniels was there for several minutes, getting immediate medical attention. His teammates knelt around him, visibly upset, which tells you everything about how serious this looked in the moment. Medical personnel cut off his jersey, immobilized his neck, and eventually, they put him on a stretcher and carted him off. The good news, if there is any in a situation like this, is that Daniels appeared to be conscious and was moving a hand. Still, a neck injury is no joke, and getting removed on a stretcher is always a terrifying sight.
A Double Whammy for the Falcons’ Defense
Daniels, a 23-year-old fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma this year, was already stepping up in a huge way for the Falcons. He was born and raised in Oklahoma, playing for Oklahoma State before transferring to Oklahoma in 2025. Today, he was wearing the “green dot” helmet, meaning he was calling the defensive plays. The kicker here? He only got that responsibility because Divine Deablo, the Falcons’ *other* linebacker who wears the green dot, went down earlier in the game with an arm injury. So, the Falcons have now lost both their primary defensive play-callers in a single game. That’s a massive hit to their defensive leadership and communication, all happening in real time.
This is a gut punch for the Falcons’ defense, losing both linebackers responsible for calling defensive plays in one afternoon. You just hope Kendal Daniels makes a full and speedy recovery from this neck injury.
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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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