FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones will miss his second consecutive practice Friday with a calf injury, but coach Dan Quinn expects Jones to be ready to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, barring a last-minute setback.
Jones injured his right calf Sunday during a 35-28 win over the Oakland Raiders. He was initially expected to be limited when he returned to practice this week. However, Jones was nothing more than a spectator as the Falcons began preparation for the Saints.
"Jones, we're going to keep him the same program we did yesterday; moving around in some of the walkthrough but will hold him out of teams reps today," Quinn said Friday "And then will just kind of take it through today, tomorrow obviously and then go from there."
Jones did not appear to have a limp while walking around the locker room and on the sideline during practice Thursday.
"He's not all the way ready to have all the strength to go on," Quinn said. "He is a faster healer, just wasn't all the way ready to say he could take the normal load that he would on a Thursday. I anticipate him participating in some things (Saturday). He wasn't ready to do the full load of stuff that we ask him to do."
When pressed on if he expects Jones to play Monday night, Quinn responded, "I do, unless there's a setback between then, which I don't anticipate. He's mentally into it, just not ready. He's a thoroughbred. He doesn't have the, 'Hey man, why don't you take it 50 percent?' He's not built like that."
Jones re-aggravated a left ankle from the preseason in a season-opening loss to Tampa Bay but still played against the Raiders. Through two games, Jones has nine catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
In other injury news for the Falcons, first-round draft pick Keanu Neal had full participation in practice Friday for the first since having arthroscopic knee surgery in the preseason. The change in status from being limited Thursday moves the rookie strong safety from Florida closer to making his NFL debut.
Meanwhile, starting inside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, the team's fourth-round draft pick, remained sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in practice last week. Campbell, who missed last week's game in Oakland, had his left ankle heavily taped, almost up to his calf.