The Atlanta Falcons announced they've placed veteran nose tackle Paul Soliai on injured reserve with a calf strain, meaning he won't play in the regular-season finale against New Orleans this Sunday.
Soliai won't knee surgery. His future with the team remains unclear although he said he "loves" playing in Atlanta.
The Falcons signed Soliai to a five-year, $35 million deal before the 2014 season that included $14 million guaranteed and a $7 million signing bonus. Soliai collected a $2 million roster bonus last season.
He has non-guaranteed base salaries of $5 million, $4.5 million, and $6 million over the next three seasons along with the potential of $2.5 million in roster bonuses based on being active on game day. His cap numbers would be $6.9 million (2016), $6.9 million (2017), and $8.4 million (2018).
The Falcons could ask Soliai to take a pay cut, a measure he would likely decline. Falcons coach Dan Quinn has to decide how Soliai fits in his defensive scheme moving forward or if it's time to go younger at the position.
Soliai, who turns 32 on Wednesday, originally came to the Falcons to eat up space in a 3-4 hybrid defense, taking on the double-teams to allow the linebackers to make plays. He transitioned to a 4-3 under front with Quinn by dropping weight in the offseason.
Soliai showed strong flashes of playmaking ability as a run-stopper throughout the season, finishing with 22 tackles, three tackles for losses, five quarterback hits and a fumble recovery in 348 snaps played through 14 games. The calf injury nagged him since the Minnesota game (Week 12) and caused him to miss the game at Carolina. He also had a concussion against San Francisco but didn't miss any game action.
Rookie Grady Jarrett emerged as a candidate for the nose tackle of the future, although Jarrett was shelved last Sunday as a result of a shoulder injury. His status for this Sunday's finale against the New Orleans Saints is uncertain. Malliciah Goodman and rookie Joey Mbu are candidates for snaps at nose tackle as well, while veteran Tyson Jackson could see a few looks there, too, to end the season.
To Falcons promoted tight end DJ Tialavea from the practice squad to take Soliai's spot on the 53-man roster.
