“Not Good”: Atlanta Falcons Confirm the Worst for Late-Round Steal

Atlanta Falcons’ defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. has shown flashes and demonstrated to be a late-round steal in his rookie season, but injuries have kept him sidelined for most of it. The slot cornerback missed Weeks 6-9 due to a hamstring and knee injury and returned for Weeks 10 and 11. Unfortunately, Bowman suffered a lower-leg injury on Friday, resulting in the Falcons placing him on injured reserve.

Atlanta Falcons confirm the worst for late-round steal

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Billy Bowman Jr. suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during Friday’s practice. He finishes his promising rookie year with 26 tackles, one TFL, 1.5 sacks, one interception, two pass deflections, and one forced fumble across six games and one start. Since Achilles injuries generally require a nine- to 12-month recovery time, Bowman may miss the start of training camp or the beginning of next season, maybe longer.

Falcons corner Billy Bowman Jr. suffered a torn Achilles last week in practice, per sources.

HC Raheem Morris said Friday the injury was ‘not good’ and the team placed him on IR.

The fourth-round rookie had made an immediate impact. pic.twitter.com/sl9zESIp8A

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 24, 2025

Who replaces him in the slot?

Dee Alford will handle slot duties for the rest of the season. He lost the starting slot cornerback job to Billy Bowman Jr. during training camp, but filled in when he was sidelined, while also starting on the outside when A.J. Terrell missed. Alford is leading the team in pass deflections, recording 39 tackles, two TFLs, two sacks, one interception, eight pass deflections, and one forced fumble across ten games and five starts.

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