Roddy White may have just gained a little leverage.
Falcons receiver Harry Douglas, who was taking first-team snaps in White’s absence, went down with a leg injury at practice Wednesday.
It’s always difficult to tell if a camp injury is serious right away, but the signs here aren’t great.
Douglas had to be helped by two people to get off the field and onto a cart.
An earlier version of the story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that Matt Ryan shouted a “loud expletive” after seeing Douglas hit the deck.
“You can’t speculate,” coach Mike Smith said. “Anytime you lose any player it’s not the best situation. Harry is an integral part of our team.”
Douglas is coming off a quietly impressive rookie year and was expected to challenge Michael Jenkins for a starting job.
If Douglas is out for a significant amount of time, the Falcons are down to Jenkins, Brian Finneran, and a slew of receivers without NFL production. (They signed Dickie Lyons Tuesday . . . and released him Wednesday.)
The receiver situation would change, of course, if they can get a deal finished with holdout Roddy White.
Little has been reported on that front lately, but soon-to-be ESPN’s Adam Schefter enjoyed his one of his last days of Twitter freedom by writing the following.
“Reports are that Falcons WR Roddy White is seeking a more lucrative contract than Larry Fitzgerald. I’m told, Categorically false.”
No matter what White is asking for, his importance to the team could have elevated even more Wednesday.