The Falcons' victory celebration had to be tempered Monday, as the team learned CB Brian Williams would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, a source told FOXSports.com.

Williams had started all five games since signing with Atlanta just before the season. He was able to contribute right away due to his familiarity with the team's defense — a similar scheme to the one he played in when Falcons head coach Mike Smith was his defensive coordinator in Jacksonville. The eighth-year veteran made 18 tackles and had one interception before getting hurt in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 21-14 win over Chicago Sunday night.

The Falcons have some options on who to move into the starting lineup. Nickel cornerback Brent Grimes will probably not change roles, so Chevis Jackson and Tye Hil are the most likely replacements for Williams, although Jackson might have the early advantage since Hill is still trying to learn the defense after coming over in a preseason trade with the Rams.

The PFW spin

We shouldn't overstate the loss of Williams. After all, he's a 30-year-old that had been deemed expendable by the Jaguars before the season. Williams isn't a shutdown corner and in 112 career games he's made 19 interceptions, so he's not exactly a dynamic playmaker.

That being said, he has been the Falcons' best and most reliable cornerback this season. Perhaps the most important statistic for Williams is that he made 14 or more starts in five of the past seven seasons. No other Falcons corner had more than three seasons of experience heading into 2009. Atlanta is left with a young, inexperienced group that benefited from Williams' veteran leadership.

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff already traded a late draft pick to acquire Hill just before the season started, but it wouldn't be surprising if Dimitroff worked the phones to see if any veteran corners could be had for a moderate price before Tuesday evening's trade deadline. A deal would seem unlikely, although Dimitroff has proved himself to be an aggressive general manager who won't sit on his hands if a problem emerges.

The chances of a trade opportunity presenting itself are slim, but the Falcons can't be too optimistic about moving forward with the group of corners that's presently are on the roster.

Jackson, the most likely replacement as a starter in the short term, was demoted from his nickel back job in the offseason and was replaced by Grimes, who lost his starting job midway through last season. If Hill stepped up and proved he was ready to contribute, the organization would be thrilled, but it has been so uncomfortable with Hill that he hasn't even been activated for a game yet.

The Falcons' defense has played very well the past two weeks, limiting the 49ers and Bears to a combined 24 points. Losing Williams, however, threatens to disrupt the chemistry and momentum the "D" has been building.