The most accomplished return man in NFL history won't be back on the field until at least Week 13 for the Atlanta Falcons as Devin Hester, who has been sidelined with turf toe in his right foot, was placed on short-term injured reserve Tuesday.
Hester aggravated the injury during the third preseason game at Miami and has yet to play in a game this season. He attempted to go through return drills last week but was not up to full speed.
"We have decided to place Devin on short-term IR," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said in a statement. "We have been trying to treat his toe injury the best we could, and he has been doing everything in his power to get back on the field, but at this point we think this is the best plan of action.
"We are confident this time will let Devin get healthy and be a big contributor to this team once he is back on the field."
The 32-year-old Hester, who has an NFL-record 20 return touchdowns, can't practice for six weeks and can't play for eight weeks -- until Week 13 against Tampa Bay.
Hester, who made the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Falcons last season, understood all along the injury could linger.
"That's my biggest fear: If I come back too early and it doesn't get better, that normally makes it worse," Hester told ESPN last month. "That's my only concern. With turf toes, they just need time to heal. I think this is what I did with this one. I came back on it too early."
Eric Weems has handled returns in Hester's absence with Nick Williams being the other option on game day. Rookie Justin Hardy, who has not been active for a game this season, showed flashes of his return ability during the preseason.
Also, the Falcons re-signed tight end Tony Moeaki and safety Charles Godfrey while releasing tight end Mickey Shuler.
Moeaki was brought back after recovering from an ankle injury, and the team is down its top tight end with Jacob Tamme recovering from a concussion. The Falcons also needed another body at free safety with starter Ricardo Allen recovering from an MCL sprain in his left knee. Undrafted rookie Robenson Therezie replaced Allen in the starting lineup during this past week's 48-21 win over the Houston Texans.