Joe Hawley Injury: Updates on Falcons Center's Knee and Return

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 30

The Atlanta Falcons confirmed that Joe Hawley will miss the season after suffering a knee injury in Week 4:

Following the announcement, the Falcons made roster moves to account for Hawley's absence, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 

Brian McIntyre also outlined the Falcons' injury issues through the first four weeks of the season:

Original Text

The Atlanta Falcons' embattled offensive line took another hit Sunday as center Joe Hawley left the team's contest against the Minnesota Vikings with a knee injury.    

Jay Adams, the team's digital content manager, broke the news on Twitter:

Ross Tucker of NBCSN immediately followed with an interesting lineup wrinkle that involved a tight end playing tackle with the team down so many linemen:

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ESPN's Adam Caplan provided updates after the game:

At the age of 25, Hawley is one of the best centers in football and a major loss for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense. Guard Justin Blalock and right tackle Lamar Holmes had already left Sunday's contest against the Vikings with injuries, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

Depending on the length of the injuries, the staff will continue to lean on backups such as Peter Konz and Gabe Carimi, but expect to see additions if any of the issues—especially the one suffered by Hawley that saw him leave the field on a cart—prove to be of the lengthy variety.

Atlanta faces the stout rush of the New York Giants next week in what is sure to be a major test for a patchwork front.