FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons announced that defensive end Kroy Biermann (torn Achilles) and fullback Bradie Ewing (separated shoulder).
Five starters left Sunday's game with injuries, never to return. Barring any unforeseen announcements, the Falcons will likely update the statuses of running back Steven Jackson (thigh), cornerback Asante Samuel (thigh) and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (foot) for Wednesday's league-mandated injury report.
Smith said the Falcons finished the game by figuratively using "some bailing wire." Now, those changes with backups filling starting roles will become a bit more permanent.
"Those guys are going to get an opportunity to step in and help us win some football games," Smith said, "and I believe that they will. As I’ve said many times before, one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity and we’ve got some guys we expect are going to step up and make some plays for us."
Smith discussed Biermann and Ewing's situations, as they will necessitate roster moves. The Falcons will not immediately announce their replacements. That could come on Tuesday, possibly after tryouts.
The loss of Biermann could prove the more serious. In defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's second season, Biermann has become an integral factor, as both a 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 outside linebacker. Nolan has even used him in a safety's role to deceive opposing defenses.
For his six-year career, Biermann has 16.5 sacks and 192 total tackles.
In Biermann's place, the Falcons will have to use multiple replacements. For the defensive end role, the club is likely to platoon Jonathan Massaqoui and rookie Malliciah Goodman.
For the linebacker role, Atlanta could implement a combination of six-year veteran Stephen Nicholas and undrafted rookie Joplo Bartu, depending on the situation. Massaquoi and Bartu both registered quarterback hits on Sunday.
"We have a backup at every position when we put our packages in," Smith said of Biermann's loss. "The backup is going to have to step and make the plays we anticipate they’re capable making. There's a role for a defensive end when Kroy was playing defensive end. There’s a role for one of the linebackers when he's playing linebacker. We’ve put that in place from the very beginning. "As you know, your roster never stays the same from year to year, and it usually doesn’t stay the same from week to week. We will make the adjustments and move forward."
Ewing, a fifth-round pick in 2012, suffered a season-ending injury last year during training camp. He has played only two games in his NFL career. That means Jason Snelling (60 total yards, one TD vs. St. Louis), a versatile type who can block and has receiving skills, will likely like fill that slot.
"It's very tough," Smith said of Ewing’s situation. "I had a conversation with Bradie here in the late morning, and in speaking with him, it's tough because he's not able to stay on the field. He had the knee injury last year and ended with him going on reserve injured early and the same thing’s happening this year.
As I told him, 'Hey, we just got to get you in early and March, April will roll around and we'll reconnect and get going moving forward.'"
