A lot of Atlanta Falcons found their way onto the field during Sunday’s second half for a concerning reason.

Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels was down on the field. He had been injured when his head got caught in a bad spot during a defensive play. The concern was immediate.

The Falcons had already lost a linebacker to injury, Divine Deablo, but that wasn’t the main worry at this point.

Everyone was concerned for Daniels.

The Falcons’ bench has emptied. Everybody is around Kendal Daniels right now. https://t.co/Ecv9EAAPJU

— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) October 18, 2026

Kendal Daniels Injury Update

This is how Daniel Flick of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described the injury on X:

Kendal Daniels’ facemask went right into Colston Loveland’s knee on that tackle attempt.

Daniels is now down with trainers by him, and several Falcons teammates are on a knee.

— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) October 18, 2026

It was clear that this wasn’t just a stinger for Daniels. He stayed down for a long time. The cart came out, but they didn’t immediately move Daniels at all.

Eventually, Daniels was strapped to the back board and carted off the field and into the depths of the stadium as fans, and his teammates, waited for more information.

Who is Kendal Daniels?

Daniels is a 23-year-old rookie linebacker.

He’s an impressive athlete, measuring 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds. He ran a 4.76-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and vertical leaped 29.5 inches.

He split his college career between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. He was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year at OSU.

Daniels was chosen by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft at the No. 134 overall pick.

Entering Sunday, he had played in five games in his rookie season. He had 22 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss. He has 1.0 sack and one pass defensed so far this season.