Kemal Ishmael

Atlanta continues their "you won't be back with us" tour, and Ishmael is the latest victim. He'll test his market in free agency as a depth option and special teamer. He had 44 combined tackles in 2019.

The 28-year-old Ishmael has been a stalwart on Atlanta's game-day roster over the past six campaigns, averaging 15.2 appearances per season between 2014 and 2019. He saw an uptick in defensive involvement after Keanu Neal (Achilles) suffered a season-ending injury Sept. 22, fielding at least 37 snaps for Atlanta's defense in every game between Weeks 3 and 7. Ishmael averaged just 5.9 defensive snaps per game Weeks 8 through 17, but he remained one of the Falcons' more integral special-teams pieces during that span, garnering at least 63 percent of the special-teams playing time over his final six appearances of the year. The veteran now becomes an unrestricted free agent heading into the 2020 offseason.

All signs are pointing to Ishmael's availability for Thursday's game against the Saints. Assuming he continues symptom-free, he should provide depth in Atlanta's secondary.

Ishmael missed the last two games with the concussion but may be able to return for Thursday's matchup with New Orleans. However, the Falcons didn't actually practice Monday and the 28-year-old hasn't officially cleared the concussion protocol, so there's a chance he could miss another contest.