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Falcons' $9M versatile pass rusher suffers season-ending injury, extending never ending nightmare
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- Falcons' $9M versatile pass rusher suffers season-ending injury, extending never ending nightmare
Falcons' $9M versatile pass rusher suffers season-ending injury, extending never ending nightmare originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Atlanta Falcons have already been hit with injuries to start the season, and it was a brutal watch in Week 1. It all started with Tua Tagovailoa getting back spasms in the middle of practice, and then backup Cooper Rush suffered the same thing on Saturday.
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However, the most plagued room is the defensive line, as they are without two of their best stars. First, it was Jalon Walker tearing his ACL.
" Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Jalon Walker will miss the 2026 season because of a torn ACL. The Falcons confirmed the nature of the injury Wednesday, one day after Walker suffered the injury near the end of practice," ESPN's Marc Raimondi wrote.
Shortly after, the punishment of James Pearce Jr. was announced after his off-field issues. Pearce is suspended until the ninth game of the season, which has been a huge loss for Atlanta.
"Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has been suspended by the NFL for eight games due to violating the league's personal conduct policy when he was arrested on domestic violence charges in February, the league announced Friday afternoon. The league said in a statement that Pearce will be eligible to participate in all preseason activities, including games. His suspension will begin Aug. 30, and he will be eligible to be reinstated Nov. 2," Raimondi wrote.
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With the defensive line losing two of its best pass rushers for the majority of the season, they couldn't suffer another loss. That all changed on Sunday, as Da'Shawn Hand will miss the remainder of the season with a quad injury.
"Coach Kevin Stefanski confirms that Da'Shawn Hand's season is over, with quad surgery coming," NFL insider Ian Rapoport wrote.
This is another huge blow for Atlanta, as their most questionable position continues to suffer injuries. The Falcons were second in the NFL in sacks last season, but this season, it remains to be seen what the room is capable of.
Hand has made $9 million throughout his career. Atlanta will look to get a division win on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers . However, they will have to do it without a valuable free-agent pickup.
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