Falcons lose Da'Shawn Hand for the season; quad surgery scheduled

The Falcons' defensive line lost another body for the season Monday. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand's year is over with the torn quad he suffered in the opener, with surgery to repair the injury now on the schedule.

Hand went down in Sunday's loss to the Steelers, and the initial belief — reported Monday morning — was a torn quad that could require season-ending surgery, with the veteran seeking multiple opinions before a final diagnosis. That answer arrived by midday: season over, surgery ahead.

The loss compounds a difficult start for Atlanta, which fell 20-13 to Pittsburgh with Cooper Rush starting in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa and has yet to provide an update on its quarterback situation for Week 2. The defense now moves forward without a veteran rotation piece up front as the home opener against the Panthers approaches.

Hand's absence adds another question mark to a Falcons front that entered the week already sorting through the fallout from the opener. How Atlanta backfills the snaps will be one of the staff's first roster decisions of the young season.