When the Atlanta Falcons landed on the runway following Sunday’s road game against the Tennessee Titans, assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray departed the plane behind defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

Gray approached Jarrett, who played only four snaps in Atlanta’s 28-23 loss due to a knee injury, with a question.

“He was walking, and I said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ And he said, ‘I feel positive,’ before he got the information,” Gray said.

That “information” was the outcome feared most – the Falcons announced Monday that Jarrett suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.

Since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2015, Jarrett has been a staple on Atlanta’s defense. He nearly owns as many Pro Bowl nods (two) as games missed (three).

In times of flux, Jarrett’s been a stabilizing presence – and now, with the Falcons tied for the lead in the NFC South and eyeing their first playoff berth in six years, their leader is no longer in the picture.

“He’s been the foundation of this defense for a long time,” outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. “It’s going to be tough. We’ve got to understand we’ve got to step up and make more plays for him.”

The Falcons know they can’t fully replace Jarrett. He’s been one of the NFL’s most productive interior defenders over the past several years, and while this year’s stat line – one and a half sacks, two tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits – may not reflect it, he’s been incredibly valuable for defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

That said, Atlanta took a step towards trying to mitigate Jarrett’s loss Monday, striking a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for defensive tackle Kentavius Street.

Nielsen and Street spent three years together at North Carolina State University and another last season with the New Orleans Saints. Nielsen believes the familiarity will help Street acclimate quickly to Atlanta.

But still, Jarrett’s loss can’t be filled by just one player.

“As far as replacing him, you really can’t,” Gray said. “You need a couple of guys to step up, to say, ‘Hey, whoever’s coming in, you shouldn’t try to play like Grady. Be like you.’ But if we’ve got to put two guys in, we’ve got to do that. You can’t think you’re going to get one guy and that’s going to be Grady Jarrett.

“We’ve got to do the next-man-up and be ready to go.”

It’s possible third-year defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham could be the biggest beneficiary of the snaps now up for grabs, as he saw action on a season-high 26 plays against Tennessee.

In Weeks 5 and 6, Graham was a healthy scratch, but he’s played two of his three biggest snap counts in the past two games.

But Graham, who missed the final seven games of last season with a torn MCL, also has an opportunity to reciprocate a favor to Jarrett after the veteran helped him through difficult times in his own injury recovery.

Graham described Jarrett as a trooper, but most importantly a friend and leader. He’s confident Jarrett will do everything needed to get back to full health, with the emotional support of his teammates only helping the situation.