Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon (ankle) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

Coach Mike Smith said a determination will be made Thursday on whether Weatherspoon will play Sunday. If Weatherspoon sits, Akeem Dent would be in line for an increased role in the Falcons' nickel subpackages. Dent played every snap in Week 6 when Stephen Nicholas was sidelined.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon is believed to have escaped Sunday's win with only a garden-variety ankle sprain.

Coach Mike Smith declined to update Weatherspoon's status at Monday's presser, but it sounds like he'll be good to go for Week 9 even if he misses some practice time. 'Spoon has three sacks and 52 tackles through seven games.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon will have a Monday MRI on his sprained ankle.

A source tells ProFootballTalk.com that the sprain is believed to be minor. IDP owners will want to monitor the situation closely as Weatherspoon has 52 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and two pass breakups this season.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon left Sunday's game against the Eagles in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.

Weatherspoon is questionable to return on a sloppy field in Philly. He had six tackles before leaving.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon (hamstring) is active in Week 2 on Monday night.

Weatherspoon was limited in practice on Friday and Saturday, but he was still expected to play. Right tackle Tyson Clabo (hip) is also active. Atlanta declared CB Terrence Johnson, OLs Joe Hawley and Lamar Holmes, DLs Jonathan Massaquoi and Cliff Matthews, S Charles Mithcell, and third QB Dominique Davis inactive against the Broncos.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon (hamstring) was limited in Friday's practice.

Weatherspoon is officially listed as questionable, but he was not held out of practice at all this week, so he's likely to play on Sunday. He had seven solo tackles and a sack in Week 1 against the Chiefs, and is a borderline LB1 if he plays this week.

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said WLB Sean Weatherspoon still "has a lot of upside."

Weatherspoon busted out for 115 tackles and four sacks last season, showing Pro Bowl caliber potential. Now that tackle machine Curtis Lofton is gone, Weatherspoon's role figures to grow. He's a linebacker for IDPers to target.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon was Pro Football Focus' fourth-rated outside linebacker versus the run in 2011.

PFF suggests Weatherspoon is the "new NFL prototype" for 4-3 weakside backers thanks to his speed and instincts coming off a breakout season with 115 tackles and four sacks. Emerging as a defensive leader, Weatherspoon will take over play-calling chores in Mike Nolan's scheme following the departure of MLB Curtis Lofton.

Appearing on SiriusXM NFL radio, Falcons coach Mike Smith said he expects Sean Weatherspoon to step into the void created by the departure of LB Curtis Lofton.

Weatherspoon was a tackling machine for the Falcons and finished as the No. 6 overall 4-3 outside linebacker by Pro Football Focus. His emergence likely played a role in the decision to part ways with Lofton this offseason. Atlanta is expected to transition to both 4-3 and 3-4 alignments under new DC Mike Nolan.

Coach Mike Smith named WLB Sean Weatherspoon as the Falcons' MVP on defense for the 2011 season.

Something of a disappointment as a rookie in 2010, Weatherspoon emerged as Atlanta's second-leading tackler (115) this season and tied for second in the team in sacks (4.0). He broke up eight passes, playing all but 20 of the Falcons' defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus graded Weatherspoon as the league's No. 6 overall 4-3 outside linebacker. He was 37th as a rookie.

Falcons WLB Sean Weatherspoon was chewed out on the sideline by coach Mike Smith during Sunday's loss to the Bears.

Weatherspoon led Atlanta in tackles (10 - 9 solo), but blew a tackle on Matt Forte's 56-yard touchdown by attempting a shoulder shot instead of wrapping up. "Our tackling was not the way it needs to be," Smith said after the game. "You can't go out there and miss leveraging the football." The Falcons' defense was dominated by the Bears' offense in Week 1.

Falcons LB Sean Weatherspoon (shoulder) and CB Brian Williams (knee) both left Sunday's game with first-half injuries.

The extents are unknown, but each player is listed as questionable to return. Weatherspoon is Atlanta's No. 4 linebacker behind Curtis Lofton, Mike Peterson, and Stephen Nicholas, although the first-round pick plays plenty. Williams, the Falcons' nickel back, has been replaced by Chris Owens.

Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon is still battling knee injury that caused him to miss five games earlier this season.

"He's still trying to get back to 100 percent, both physically and back into the speed of the game," DC Brian VanGorder said. "He hasn't impacted the games like he was earlier. But I see signs of improvement." Although he's still listed as the start, Weatherspoon has been playing only in the nickel defense since returning in Week 11.

Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon is still listed as the starter at strong-side linebacker even though he's playing only on passing downs and coach Mike Smith says he's not yet 100 percent.

"I think that Sean is progressing in terms of his recovery," Smith said. "I don't know that he's 100 percent..." Smith added that the rookie will "get right back into the swing of things as he starts feeling better." Weatherspoon can't be counted on by IDP owners until he's seeing a full complement of snaps, which might not happen this season with Stephen Nicholas playing well.

Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon (knee) played on passing downs only Sunday in his first game since Oct. 10.

Weatherspoon is getting eased back in as Stephen Nicholas started and played on early downs. Weatherspoon did not record a tackle in the game.

Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon (knee) resumed practicing on Thursday.

Weatherspoon has been out since Oct. 10 with a knee sprain. He'll have to pass "range of motion and lateral movement" tests over the next couple of days before he gets the green light for game action.

Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon (knee) is listed as the starting strong-side linebacker over Stephen Nicholas on the Falcons' latest depth chart.

Weatherspoon had been expected to return from his knee injury this week, but it wasn't clear whether or not he'd get his starting job back. It appears he has. Weatherspoon was playing pretty well in his first four games before suffering the knee injury, averaging 7.3 tackles and recording a sack.

The Falcons expect SLB Sean Weatherspoon (knee) to return in Week 11.

Whether he'll regain his starting job from Stephen Nicholas remains to be seen. Weatherspoon, the 19th overall pick in April's draft, has shown plenty of big-play ability, but the Falcons have racked up wins with Nicholas.

Falcons SLB Sean Weatherspoon (knee) is still considered day-to-day.

Weatherspoon hasn't played since Week 5 due to a sprained knee, and it appears his chances of suiting up for Week 10 are still up in the air. Stephen Nicholas has played well in Weatherspoon's absence.

Falcons declared LB Sean Weatherspoon, third QB John Parker Wilson, TE Justin Peelle, T Garrett Reynolds, G Mike Johnson, DT Trey Lewis, DE Lawrence Sidbury, and CB Dominique Franks inactive for Sunday's Week 9 game against Tampa Bay.

John Abraham and Dunta Robinson, who were both listed as probable, will be active. Weatherspoon will sit with a knee injury. There are no other surprises for one of the league's healthiest teams.