49ers' Isaiah Oliver: Expected to play nickelback in 2023
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49ers defensive coordinator Steven Wilks said Friday that Oliver is expected to play nickelback in 2023, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
The 2018 second-round pick signed a two-year deal to join San Francisco this offseason after five seasons in Atlanta. Oliver was a solid contributor when healthy, but a torn ACL cost him parts of the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. Wilks added that he expects to use the defensive back occasionally as a blitzer out of the slot. Oliver has just two career sacks, but he's back to full strength and could reach new heights with an aggressive role in the 49ers' talented defense.
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49ers' Isaiah Oliver: Heading to Bay Area
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The 49ers agreed to terms with Oliver on a two-year deal Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Oliver will head to San Francisco after seeing prominent playing time over the past four seasons with Atlanta. The 26-year-old cornerback missed the first five games of the 2022 campaign while recovering from a torn ACL suffered Week 4 of 2021. Oliver was still productive over the final 12 regular-season games last year, recording 37 tackles and seven passes defended, including just the second interception of his career. The 6-foot Oliver now figures to compete with Samuel Womack for reps out of the slot with the 49ers.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Records first sack of season
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Oliver recorded nine tackles (five solo), two pass defenses and one sack during Sunday's 20-19 win over Arizona.
Oliver posted a season-high nine tackles and recorded his first sack of the 2022 campaign when he took down David Blough for a seven-yard loss on the second play of the game. The 2018 second-round pick will look to build off his best performance of the year during Atlanta's regular-season finale against Tampa Bay on Sunday.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Moves off of IR
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Atlanta activated Oliver (knee) from its injured reserve list Saturday ahead of Sunday's game versus San Francisco, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Oliver is now poised to return from the ACL tear he suffered last season. The 26-year-old corner should be in line for a significant role in the Falcons' defensive backfield once he's fully back up to speed.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Designated to return from IR
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Oliver (knee) was designated to return from injured reserve and practiced Wednesday, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.
Oliver tore his ACL in Week 4 last season and was limited during minicamp before returning to full-team drills at the start of training camp. He didn't play in either of the team's first two exhibition games but saw 31 defensive snaps during the preseason finale. However, he was placed on IR ahead of the 53-man roster deadline to give him extra time to finish his rehab. Now, just over a year after initially suffering the injury, he appears ready to put the issue behind him. He'll have 21 days to be added to the active roster, but if he isn't, he'll revert back to IR for the remainder of the campaign.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Placed on injured reserve
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The Falcons placed Oliver (knee) on injured reserve Thursday, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Oliver underwent season-ending knee surgery last year in October and was limited during minicamp in June but returned to full-team drills at the start of training camp. He didn't suit up for either of the Falcons' first two exhibition contests but played 31 defensive snaps during the preseason finale. However, he appears to still be dealing with lingering effects of the surgery and will miss at least the first four games of the 2022 regular season.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Not participating fully
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Oliver (knee) was a limited participant in minicamp Tuesday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Oliver is still recovering from season-ending surgery he had in October that limited him to four games in 2021. Heading into his fifth year in the league and on a one-year deal, Oliver is expected to be ready to go for training camp.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Remains without timetable
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Oliver (knee) remains without a timetable for return, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Oliver had surgery after suffering a season-ending knee injury in October, but he has yet to return to the practice field. Although he has no official timetable, head coach Arthur Smith has praised the intensity with which Oliver has attacked his rehab. In four games in 2021, Oliver made 11 tackles and deflected three passes while forcing and recovering a fumble.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Done for season
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Oliver (knee) will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the 2021 season, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Oliver suffered the injury during Sunday's loss to Washington and was placed on injured reserve earlier Tuesday. The 25-year-old finishes 2021 with 11 tackles (seven solo), three passes defensed and a forced fumble in four games.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Placed on IR
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The Falcons placed Oliver (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.
Oliver will be forced to miss at least the next three weeks after the move to IR, but he could be sidelined longer. The 25-year-old corner registered 11 tackles, three pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over the first four games of the season. During his absence, expected A.J. Terrell and T.J. Green to see increased playing time.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Doubtful to return Sunday
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Oliver (knee) is doubtful to return to Sunday's contest against Washington, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Oliver suffered a knee injury during the first half of Week 4. The 25-year-old corner played 52 defensive snaps for the Falcons in Week 3. A.J. Terrell and T.J. Green will likely see increased roles during Oliver's absence.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Nursing shoulder injury
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Oliver did not participate in Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury.
Oliver's shoulder issue is a bit of a mystery after the starting cornerback played 80 percent of the Falcons' defensive snaps Sunday, but his status for Week 15 is now in question. If the shoulder remains bothersome for Oliver, Jordan Miller and Blidi Wreh-Wilson could see additional reps opposite Kendall Sheffield.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Defensive role fading
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Oliver's decreased snap count in Week 7 was a personnel decision made by the Falcons' coaching staff, Kelsey Conway of the team's official site reports.
In a year that began with optimism for the second-year cornerback out of Colorado, Oliver has struggled in coverage and has resultantly seen his role in Atlanta's defensive rotation decrease. He played on at least 93 percent of the Falcons' defensive snaps between Weeks 2 and 6, but last Sunday against the Rams only fielded 59 percent of the snaps despite Desmond Trufant (toe) being inactive for the game. Oliver has zero forced turnovers and has gone four straight games without a pass deflection as Atlanta prepares to take on Seattle's Russell Wilson in Week 8, who has averaged better than 275 passing yards per game with an overall 15:1 TD:INT ratio this season.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Makes enormous fourth-down tackle
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Oliver collected four solo tackles and two assists during Sunday's 24-20 win against Philadelphia.
The Falcons defense showed up in Week 2 by holding Philadelphia's ground attack to 2.3 yards per carry, forcing three turnovers and conceding a QBR of just 45.1 to 2017 MVP candidate Carson Wentz. Oliver may have provided the most decisive play of the night, wrapping up Zach Ertz short of the sticks on the Eagles' last gasp drive to force a turnover on downs and secure the win for the Falcons. The upcoming Week 3 matchup for Atlanta's secondary is no walk in the park; they face Jacoby Brissett and his impressive 18:8 career TD:INT ratio.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Ready to take on starting role
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Oliver said after Thursday's OTA workout that he's feeling more confidence this year than he did heading into his rookie campaign, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "It's probably going to be like that throughout my career from year to year," Oliver admitted. "But yeah, that's the biggest jump that I made. Becoming more confident in the scheme of things."
Atlanta's patience with Oliver was rewarded in 2018, as the second-round draft choice grew into a reliable component of the secondary after a shaky start to the year. Oliver's development was a key reason for Atlanta's improvement from 304.3 passing yards allowed per game over its first eight outings, to 214.9 passing yards allowed per game over the final eight. Both his on-field audition as well as his football IQ factored into the decision, but Atlanta's front office saw enough in Oliver to bestow upon him the No. 2 cornerback role. Expect Oliver to field around 80-to-85 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2019 after handling 21.9 percent of the snaps as a rookie.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Will start Sunday
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Oliver will start in place of Robert Alford (ankle) in Sunday's game at Washington, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Alford was ruled out for Sunday -- breaking a string of 46 straight starts -- providing Oliver the opportunity for the second start of his career. The Redskins will be without running back Chris Thompson (ribs) and wide receiver Jamison Crowder (ankle), which could create an increased reliance for Adrian Peterson and the run game.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: May register second career start Sunday
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Oliver is in line to start Sunday against the Redskins if Robert Alford (ankle) is ruled out, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.
Oliver will make his first start since Week 4 if Alford is unable to suit up Sunday, although it's worth noting head coach Dan Quinn was unwilling to rule Alford out following Thursday's practice. In that Week 4 shootout against Cincinnati, Oliver let A.J. Green slip past him for a last-second touchdown reception as the Bengals pulled out a 37-36 victory. The Redskins aren't the most pass-heavy bunch (22nd in pass attempts with 32.6 per game), but veteran signal caller Alex Smith may put the ball up a bit more than usual to try and expose the inexperienced defensive back in coverage.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Healthy for Week 3
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Oliver (ankle) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Olived has logged two full practices this week after being sidelined for the first two games of the regular season due to an ankle injury. The rookie second-rounder is trending in the right direction to make his NFL debut against the Saints on Sunday.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Sidelined Week 2
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Oliver (ankle) was inactive for Sunday's win over the Panthers, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Oliver had been questionable in the lead-up to Sunday's divisional game after sitting out Week 1 with the same injury. For the time being, he should be considered questionable for the team's Week 3 tilt against the Saints. Oliver was limited at practice late last week, indicating that he's progressing through his recovery and could return any day now.
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Falcons' Isaiah Oliver: Ruled out for season opener
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Oliver (ankle) will not play against the Eagles on Thursday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Oliver has been limited for the last week due to an ankle injury and will not recover in time for Thursday's season opener. Though Oliver was once in the battle for a starting job, it seems likely that the 2018 second-rounder will begin the season in a rotational role when healthy.
