Falcons lose ‘Kingpin’ defensive lineman to season-ending quad injury
FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand suffered a quad injury during Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and will miss the remainder of the season, coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Monday afternoon. The injury is expected to require surgery.
Stefanski said he’s “disappointed” for Hand, who played seven snaps Sunday before being ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the second quarter.
“Hard because of the person he is,” Stefanski said. “And I’m serious, just what he brings to this building on a day-to-day basis. That’s what I appreciate about him in the first place is just the guy he is. Doesn’t hurt that he’s from Philly, but just a tough, tough dude.”
During OTAs, Falcons defensive line coach Nate Ollie gave Hand the nickname “Kingpin.” The Falcons planned for the 6-foot-3, 302-pound Hand to be an immovable force on running plays.
“When we’re in there stopping the run, that’s what he’s got to do for us,” Ollie said. “When he runs through that A-gap, it has to look different. He’s the final boss right there. You got to be that guy for us.”
Hand suffered a knee injury during the second week of training camp and missed close to a month before returning for the final two weeks of practice leading into the season-opener.
Without Hand, the Falcons’ run defense performed admirably in Pittsburgh, holding the Steelers to just 58 yards on 21 attempts, an average of 2.8 yards per carry. The team now has only four healthy interior defensive linemen on its active roster in Brandon Dorlus, Gervon Dexter Sr., Maason Smith and LaCale London.
Dorlus led the group with 41 snaps Sunday, playing 61% of the defensive action. Dexter saw 39 snaps, Smith played 38 snaps and London took 34 snaps. All four finished above 50% on the Falcons’ defensive snap share.
“I have full confidence in everybody who plays,” Dorlus said Monday. “For people who don’t start, I’m really confident in them. At the end of the day, it’s the NFL. Whoever’s in this building, got to go and got to roll.”
The Falcons sacked Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice and hit him six times. They’re optimistic about their pass rush and front seven at large, but Hand remains a key loss.
Hand, 30, started all 13 of his appearances for the Los Angeles Chargers last season, posting 29 tackles, five tackles for loss and 1½ sacks. The Falcons, however, are forced to move forward without him, starting at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Panthers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Injuries are a part of this game that nobody likes, and guys have to step up,” Stefanski said. “So, we’ll look at different things that we can do, but feel really confident in the guys we have currently in that room and in our building that we feel like can make an impact.
“But it’s never easy when you lose somebody like D-Hand.”