The Falcons announced their injury report for this weekend’s upcoming game against the Washington Redskins. Tight end Michael Palmer will miss his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury, as he was listed as out. Center Todd McClure, safety William Moore, and fullback Lousaka Polite were all listed as questionable. Both McClure and Moore were limited in practice all week long with pectroal and hip injuries, respectively. Polite missed both Wednesday and Thursday practices with a hamstring injury, but was upgraded on Friday and participated on a limited basis.

Also on the Falcons injury report were defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (groin), wide receiver Julio Jones (hand), linebacker Stephen Nicholas (thigh), cornerback Chris Owens (concussion), and running back Antone Smith (hamstring), all listed as probable. All five players were full go in Friday’s practice. Babineaux and Smith were limited on both Wednesday and Thursday, while Nicholas and Owens were only limited in Wednesday’s practice.

For the Redskins, safety Brandon Meriweather (knee) and cornerback Cedric Griffin (hamstring) are out this Sunday. Running back Evan Royster (knee) is questionable. Wide receiver Pierre Garcon (foot), tackle Trent Williams (knee), returner Brandon Banks (hip), and cornerback DeAngelo Hall (flu) were listed as probable.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reports that Falcons head coach Mike Smith has already ruled tight end Michael Palmer out for this weekend’s matchup against divisional rival Carolina Panthers. Palmer suffered a shoulder injury early in Sunday’s win over the San Diego Chargers. He managed a single catch for a yard before he left the game.

Given the quick turnaround on when Palmer was declared out for the game, it’s possible he has a severe enough shoulder injury that he could miss multiple games. Typically that has been the case when players have been ruled out prior to the scheduled release of the injury report on Friday.

In his absence, Tommy Gallarda will assume reps as the No. 2 tight end behind Tony Gonzalez. Chase Coffman is on the practice squad and could possibly be elevated if the Falcons opt to cut another player.

Yesterday, the Falcons released their injury report for this weekend’s road game against the San Diego Chargers. Cornerback Chris Owens and running back Antone Smith were declared out for the game. Both players were injured during last Monday’s win against the Denver Broncos, Owens suffering a concussion and Smith injuring his hamstring. Neither player participated in this week’s three days of practice.

Also on the report were tackle Tyson Clabo (hip) and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (thigh), both declared as questionable. Defensive end John Abraham (knee), wide receiver Julio Jones (thigh), linebacker Stephen Nicholas (thigh), and wide receiver Roddy White (knee) were all listed as probable. All six players were limited in their participation of Wednesday and Thursday’s practice. All those listed as probable fully participated in Friday’s practice however.

With Owens out of the game, Dominique Franks is expected to fill in at nickel cornerback. Franks was inserted into the Broncos game after Owens left early.

Adam Caplan of The Sideline View initially broke the news, and the Falcons eventually confirmed that they had signed cornerback Terrence Johnson. Johnson will take over the roster spot of Brent Grimes, who was placed on injured reserve after rupturing his Achilles in Sunday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Johnson played last year with the Indianapolis Colts, appearing in 10 games with 2 starts, predominantly as a nickel cornerback in the slot. Johnson finished hte year with 33 tackles. He began his pro career as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots in 2010 out of California (PA). After being cut by the Patriots after training camp, he was a late season practice squad pickup by the Colts. He returned to the Colts in 2011 and made the roster a year ago before being cut this past month.

Brent Grimes

The Falcons announced on twitter today that cornerback Brent Grimes would be gone for the year with an Achilles injury. Grimes left the second half of yesterday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs with what was deemed a calf injury. The exact nature of Grimes injury has not been disclosed, but it is likely Grimes suffered a torn Achilles and will require season-ending surgery. The team announced that Grimes would go on injured reserve.

Grimes has served as the Falcons top corner the past two seasons, including a Pro Bowl year in 2010. He missed 4 games last year with a right knee injury and was given the Franchise tag after the season, set to make around $10.3 million this year. In Grimes absence, the Falcons will likely promote either Dominique Franks or Chris Owens into the nickel role. Grimes started at right corner against the Chiefs, a role that will likely be resumed by Dunta Robinson. In nickel situations, either Franks or Owens will come into the game on the right side as Robinson moves into the slot.

The Falcons released their injury report for this weekend’s season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Only two players appeared on it, with cornerback Chris Owens (hamstring) and running back Jason Snelling (calf) listed as probable this week.

Both Owens and Snelling were able to fully participate in Thursday and Friday’s practices, after being limited on Wednesday with their respective injuries. Both Owens and Snelling sat out the preseason with their respective injuries.

For the Chiefs, nose tackle Anthony Toribiio (ankle), defensive end Allen Bailey (ankle) and safety Kendrick Lewis (shoulder) were listed as doubtful. All three players sat all three days of practice this weekend.  Also on the Chiefs’ injury report were linebackers Derrick Johnson (ankle) and Jovan Belcher (groin) and cornerbacks Jalil Brown (groin) and Brandon Flowers (foot), all listed as questionable. Johnson, Brown, and Flowers were all limited in practice all three days, with Belcher missing Thursday practice and being limited on Wednesday and Friday.

Dominique Franks

The Falcons announced today that they have re-signed cornerback Dominique Franks and waived-injured wideout Tim Toone. Franks was among the team’s more surprising cuts during last weekend’s cutdown to 53 players. Franks and Toone had split reps during the preseason on punt returns. With the waived-injured designation, Toone will be placed on the Falcons’ injured reserve upon clearing waivers.

Since being cut by the Falcons, Franks has gotten looks from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs (per Adam Caplan) and Miami Dolphins (per Aaron Wilson). Last season, Franks started four games as an injury replacement for Brent Grimes. He finished the season with 15 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

During this past preseason, Franks returned a total of 6 punts for 70 yards (11.7 avg), including a 45-yard return in the preseason opener against the Ravens. Toone had 6 punt returns for 48 yards (8.0 avg).

Corey Peters

The Falcons announced today that to get down to their 75-man roster limit, the team waived QB John Parker Wilson and placed DT Corey Peters on the reserve/non-football injury list. As such, Peters is ineligible to play for the first six weeks of the regular season. He suffered a foot injury during the off-season, and has missed the entire training camp and preseason because of it.

Wilson was first signed by the Falcons in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, and made the team. For two seasons he sat the bench as the third quarterback. Last summer, the team opted to release him at the end of training camp after a lackluster preseason but he was signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the Falcons active roster last December where he finished out the season. Wilson was outplayed this summer by undrafted rookie Dominique Davis.

The Falcons announced today that offensive tackle Will Svitek would be out for the season with an undisclosed injury suffered during Sunday’s practice. Svitek was the team’s top swing tackle on offense, working at both left and right tackle spots during the preseason. Svitek started 10 games last season for the Falcons at left tackle, as a replacement for Sam Baker.

With Svitek out, the team will likely turn to third round pick Lamar Holmes to take up the swing tackle position. Holmes has yet to play this preseason, but is expected to get work on Friday against the Miami Dolphins. Mike Johnson has worked as the team’s top backup at right tackle during the preseason as well.

UPDATE: Svitek suffered an upper arm injury per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC.

Looking at several Falcon players that are in prime position in tonight’s preseason matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals to stand out and make a big push to make this Falcons team come September.

• WR Kevin Cone – While the offensive production of Cone and the other receivers is what is easiest to pay attention to, the key for Cone making the Falcons roster will be his performance on special teams. With D.J. Davis already putting some nice highlights there last week, it’s time for Cone to step up and start to make some key contributions. Otherwise regardless of his offensive potential, he won’t be a Falcon in 2012.

• WR Kerry Meier – Meier was highlighted last week, and will be so again. Against the Ravens, he played with the first unit taking over the third wide receiver spot for Harry Douglas and did not notch any production. With Douglas returning to the lineup, he’ll likely be pushed to the second units where he can start to make an impact on offense. While Meier’s roster spot is pretty much locked up, he needs to start producing on offense to verify that the Falcons depth is not weak at this position.

• DE Cliff Matthews – Matthews had a nice performance last week against the Ravens, and will need another solid to strong one tonight. He’s in a battle with Jonathan Massaquoi for the fifth defensive end spot. If push comes to shove, it’s likely that Matthews will be the odd man out if the team is forced to choose only one of the pair. But both players have performed well enough to think the Falcons might try and keep six ends. But that will only become a possibility if Matthews continues to play well.

• DT Micanor Regis – While Travian Robertson’s play was highlighted from last week’s preseason opener, Regis also made some things happen against the Ravens. Regis has the sort of bulk and presence in the middle to play the nose in a three-man front. While it seems doubtful that he’ll win an outright roster spot, continuing to play well this summer likely can lock up a practice squad spot for him. But his roster chances are enhanced if Vance Walker sits out once more tonight.

• LB Mike Peterson – He will get the start tonight for an injured Akeem Dent. Few have ever questioned Peterson’s ability to defend the run, and if Dent cannot show he’s significantly better in pass coverage, then it’s possible the team could lean towards the veteran Peterson as the starting middle linebacker. But he’ll need to stand out against the Bengals for that possibility to occur.

• CB Dominique Franks – It won’t really be Franks coverage abilities that will be worth monitoring, but his return skills. With the team electing not to use Douglas on returns, Franks has a perfect opportunity to solidify his hold on the position. Another productive night could be the nail in the coffin for that competition.

• S Shann Schillinger – Charles Mitchell made a bit of a name for himself last week on defense, and it’s time for Schillinger to step up his game a little. While Schillinger has proven himself to be one of the team’s best special teams players, he needs to showcase that he does offer some upside on regular defense to really solidify his roster prospects.