Austin Hooper is one of the most underrated tight ends currently playing in the NFL and he has been a huge part of the Atlanta Falcons offense. Unfortunately, he is going to miss some time.

According to a report from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Hooper is expected to miss around a month due to an MCL sprain. That is a tough blow for the Falcons and Hooper.

Atlanta has seen their offense change quite a bit. Mohamed Sanu was traded to the New England Patriots ahead of the NFL trade deadline and now Hooper will be forced to miss a decent amount of time. Matt Ryan will now have to look at Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley much more than he did earlier in the year.

Hooper has caught 56 passes for 608 yards and six touchdowns so far this season. He has had a massive role for the Falcons, even though he has not received a lot of hype.

It will be interesting to see how the Falcons replace him in their offense. Ryan and the Falcons pulled out a huge win over the New Orleans Saints last week, but are still just 2-7 on the season. Dan Quinn and company are trying to put together a win streak, as his job may very well be in jeopardy.

All of that being said, it will be awhile before we see Hooper back on the field. It also wouldn't be too shocking to see the Falcons end up shutting him down for the year when everything is said and done.