TE Jacob Tamme to undergo shoulder surgery, out for the season

Bad news for the league’s best offense: their starting tight end is out for the season. Jacob Tamme fell awkwardly after a catch against the Green Bay Packers, and spent a prolonged period of time on the ground with the trainers.

We weren’t too worried about the injury until he went for a second opinion, usually a sign that the first opinion was not great. If he needed shoulder surgery, his season would be over. Now we have confirmation that Tamme will undergo shoulder surgery and he will miss the rest of the 2016 season from the man himself.

We’ve already noticed the offense struggle a bit more without Tamme, as he’s been a reliable safety valve for Matt Ryan. He took the majority of snaps on the offense, with Austin Hooper and Levine Toilolo filling in as depth. Hooper is expected to move to the starting position, and Joshua Perkins spent last week as the third active tight end.

It will be difficult to replace Tamme, but not impossible with Atlanta’s young tight ends. Hooper is still a little unpolished but is an athletic pass catcher that can block in the run game. Toilolo and Perkins can do a bit of both, but will likely be relegated to mostly blocking.