Few if any teams in the NFL suffered as many major injuries to key players as the Falcons in 2013.
Their luck isn’t much better so far one year later.
The Falcons suffered a major blow on Tuesday when center Joe Hawley (knee) and offensive tackle Lamar Holmes (foot) were placed on season-ending injured reserve. Also, starting safety William Moore (shoulder) will miss at least eight weeks after being placed on the short-term injured reserve list.
Moore will not be eligible to practice for six weeks and can’t play until two weeks after he resumes practicing. That means he will miss at least seven games and could return to play, at most, the final five games.
Falcons coach Mike Smith declined to provide details about the injuries. All three were hurt during the 41-28 defeat at Minnesota on Sunday.
“You hate to lose guys, but when you lose them it’s another guy’s opportunity to play,” Smith said Tuesday. “It’s a ‘no blink’ mentality. You move on and keep working.”
The injuries to Hawley and Holmes brings to three the number of offensive line starters who are out for the season because of injuries. Starting left tackle Sam Baker and Mike Johnson, the reserve right tackle, were injured in August.
Peter Konz replaces Hawley at center and Gabe Carimi takes over for Holmes at right tackle. The Falcons signed two linemen on Tuesday for depth: veteran free agent Cameron Bradfield and Harland Gunn, who was promoted from the practice squad.
Second-year player Kemal Ishmael will replace Moore. Rookie safety Dezmen Southward and Sean Baker, signed from the practice squad on Tuesday, will provide depth behind Ishmael and veteran starter Dwight Lowery.
The Falcons’ rebuilt offensive line has generally performed well this season, especially in pass protection. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said the group has “absolutely” been better than last season, when it was among the worst units in the league.
Now the group will have to deal with yet another reshuffling.
“We felt like we had good depth in our offensive line but now we’ve lost three to four guys that were experienced players for us,” Koetter said. “It will definitely be a challenge but we know these guys are up to that challenge.”
In addition to losing Hawley and Holmes for the season, the status of starting left guard Justin Blalock is up in the air for Sunday’s game at the Giants. Blalock left the Vikings game with a back injury.
Konz, a second-round pick in the 2012 draft, was the starter at right guard as a rookie. But he couldn’t hold the starting center job in 2013 and began this season as a reserve.
He focused on building strength during the offseason and Koetter said Konz’s increased physicality has been apparent in video review. Before Hawley was placed on IR, Konz said he was eager to redeem himself if called upon to start.
“If I have to be in there, I’ve done it before,” he said. “I know I can go in there and do a great job. And I’m going to have a lot of teammates to help me.”
Carimi has played 72 percent of the snaps this season (201 of 281) with time spent at both tackle spots and left guard. He had a poor game in the opener against the Saints, when he was penalized three times, but performed better in the past three games.
Moore is one of the few long-time Falcons starters on defense. Another, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, is out with a season-ending foot injury.
Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has frequently expressed his admiration for Moore’s spirited play and leadership on the field.
“That is something you will miss,” Nolan said. “Hopefully somebody else will pick it up.”
Ishmael’s role will increase as the defensive backfield tries to sort out issues with pass coverage and run support. Ishmael played just three defensive snaps as a rookie but has played 41 percent of the snaps this season, first as part of the dime package and then in place of Moore when he left the Vikings game.
“From a year ago until now, he’s probably the most improved guy,” Nolan said.
The Falcons added safety Kimario McFadden and Adam Replogle to replace Baker and Gunn on the practice squad. Both were released by the team during the final cuts before the season.
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