Falcons’ rookie running back Thomas Brown suffered what could be a season-ending injury while enduring an illegal horse-collar tackle in Thursday’s 10-9 preseason victory at Baltimore, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
The injury, to his upper leg/groin area, will not require surgery but it could result in the Georgia product from Tucker being placed on injured reserve, which would end his season, the person said.
Brown’s injury status likely will result in second-year tailback Jason Snelling making the roster as the team’s No. 3 tailback. The Falcons have to trim their current 75-man roster to the NFL-limit 53 by Saturday night. Snelling and Brown, a seventh-round pick in the April draft, were in a neck-and-neck competition with Brown seemingly holding the edge because he was the top kickoff returner during the preseason.
Brown came out of the game Thursday after a seven-yard run in the third quarter in which he was snatched down by the back of his collar by Ravens’ outside linebacker Gary Stills. Thomas’s body whip-lashed as he went down, as often is the case when the recently banned tackle is executed. Stills was penalized for a personal foul.
