FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- In an almost-empty Atlanta Falcons locker room Monday afternoon, safety Richie Grant stood at his stall. A couple of teammates were milling around, a couple more playing table tennis, but he was there answering questions.

In some ways, after the last two weeks for the team’s secondary, it was a fitting image. The Falcons entered the season with a secondary that was their deepest and most talented unit. Casey Hayward, a former Pro Bowler, was at one corner. A.J. Terrell, one of the top young cornerbacks in the league, was at the other.

The safeties were new, Jaylinn Hawkins and Grant in their first years as full-time starters, but the combination of the four looked formidable.

And now, by Week 8 of the season, Grant might be the only one to play Sunday against Carolina.

“That did cross my mind,” Grant said. “But I will say I have seen every guy in our secondary play ball and I’m confident in all of them.

“I’m truly excited for the opportunity they might have."

What once was a fairly strong starting four might be a bunch of question marks. Atlanta already ruled Hawkins out for Sunday as he is in the concussion protocol. Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Terrell, who suffered a right hamstring injury against the Cincinnati Bengals, is “week to week.” The reality is if Terrell isn’t practicing much, he probably won’t play. Atlanta have tended to be patient with injuries to keep them from becoming long-term problems.

Hayward has already missed one game and is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury that requires surgery.

Hayward (340 snaps), Terrell (358) and Hawkins (404) have all logged major work this season. Terrell is the team's leader in pass breakups (five) and Hawkins (41) and Terrell (29) are among the team's top five tacklers.

Second-year cornerback Darren Hall made his second-career start in place of Hayward last week against Cincinnati. After Terrell went down eight plays into the game, it altered things. Terrell was going to be shadowing star Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

With Terrell out, it put the defensive plan in flux. Hall had watched Terrell’s movements throughout the week in practice, but it still doesn’t approximate going against one of the NFL’s top receivers.

“That’s what happens in games. Everybody’s dealing with something,” Smith said. “It’s the National Football League. We knew going into that game that we knew what their strengths were, and they did a nice job executing and we didn’t early.

“You get yourself in a hole like that and you have to adapt.”

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards against Atlanta -- the second-best passing game ever against the Falcons.

Hall will remain a starter. If Terrell can’t play, that’s where it gets a bit more confusing. Cornell Armstrong, who was on the practice squad and elevated for the game, ended up playing the majority of the time opposite Hall. It’s possible he ends up there again. Dee Alford, who missed the Cincinnati game with a hamstring injury, is “day to day.” The Falcons could start Alford opposite Hall if he can get healthy. Isaiah Oliver, the team’s nickelback, would be another option, but he gives the Falcons stability in the middle of the field.

The Falcons could play Mike Ford, who is primarily a special teams ace but has nine starts at defensive back. It could also look to rookie practice squad corner Matt Hankins or second-year pro Dylan Mabin, also on the practice squad.

Smith, on Monday, didn’t rule out a waiver claim, if the right player were available.

“You have confidence in the individual otherwise they wouldn’t be here, right?” safety Erik Harris said. “So let’s start with that. So we have confidence. We are a close group. It comes with experience.”

Harris said the experience with coverages and the system can help ease the transition that might come from players missing time.

Safety is a little bit easier to decipher. With Hawkins out, the Falcons could look to Harris, who started 12 games at safety for Atlanta last season and 43 in his career. Or it could go to Dean Marlowe, who has started 16 NFL games and replaced Hawkins on Sunday when he left.

Having two veterans backing up two younger players -- both Hawkins and Grant are on rookie contracts -- was partially by design.

“It’s what the strategy behind some of the roster building,” Smith said. “And what you try to develop guys that are on your p-squad and guys that have been in your program so they know your system.”