Mike Hughes moves to nickel for Falcons vs. 49ers

Atlanta's injury report this week reads like a pulled-muscle convention, and the secondary is where it hurts most.

Daniel Flick

@ByDanielFlick

Falcons’ injury report. Lots of groin & hamstring injuries going around. Brian Robinson Jr. the most surprising DNP today. Falcons have Jam Miller and Khalil Herbert on their practice squad.

The domino that matters here is Billy Bowman Jr. Atlanta's starting nickel has been out of practice with a hamstring injury, so the staff told Hughes early in the week he was sliding inside. He went through individual drills with nickels coach Ricky Manning, with the other slot guys, Sydney Brown and Darnay Holmes, watching and then running the same work.

Daniel Flick

@ByDanielFlick

Hughes working individual drills with nickels coach Ricky Manning. “With the injuries we’ve got, we need people to help out, fill in,” Hughes said. “It’s never a bad thing to have too much depth. I feel like I’m a guy who can do it all, so I’ve been helping out a little bit.” t.co/ufZAEOgq8P

That's the team-first answer, and fair enough. But here's the part Hughes isn't saying out loud: he has been in his 3rd season as Atlanta's starting field corner, and it has gone rough. Per the AJC, the 29-year-old, 9th-year vet has allowed a league-high 394 passing yards in coverage. So when he's asked whether the move sticks past Sunday, his answer is honest to the point of being a little ominous.

Daniel Flick

@ByDanielFlick

Mike Hughes has worked with the Falcons' nickel corners this week & expects to "play a little bit" in the slot Sunday. Is this final? "No clue," Hughes told @ajc. "It could be a week-to-week thing, or permanent. Who knows?" t.co/D4WRrqbuhx

"Week-to-week or permanent" is doing a lot of work. If A.J. Terrell is finally back on the boundary (he missed 4 games with a groin injury and returned to practice Wednesday) and rookie Avieon Terrell keeps holding his own outside, the Falcons suddenly have bodies on the perimeter. Then Hughes in the slot looks less like a fill-in and more like where he lands for good.

Then there's C.J. Henderson, who missed time with his own groin injury and told the AJC he'll be good to go. He isn't treating the reshuffle as a threat to his job. He thinks he's one of the best in the league at it.

Daniel Flick

@ByDanielFlick

Included in the story about Mike Hughes moving to nickel this week is a glimpse at C.J. Henderson's confidence: “I feel like I’m a top starter in this league,” Henderson told @ajc. “I’ve been preparing that way, and I’ll continue to no matter the results.”t.co/D4WRrqc275

Confidence is great. The numbers are less certain: the AJC has Henderson giving up 20 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown on 36 targets. Sunday against San Francisco is the first look at Atlanta's new secondary, with Hughes inside, Henderson back outside and maybe Terrell on the other side. If Hughes holds up in the slot, nobody in Atlanta will be asking whether it's permanent for long.