After a less-than-stellar showing on the defensive side of the ball in 2024, the Atlanta Falcons made a concerted effort to upgrade the unit in free agency and the draft.
In free agency, Atlanta signed linebacker Divine Deablo to a two-year, $14 million contract and pass rusher Leonard Floyd to a one-year, $10 million deal. Then in the 2025 draft, the Falcons took Jalon Walker, James Pearce, Xavier Watts, and Billy Bowman Jr. with four of their five picks.
It’s clear the Falcons want to get more athletic and younger at all three levels. While most of the attention is on the defensive line upgrades, the Deablo signing spells bad news for veteran Troy Andersen.
Falcons Must Consider Moving on From Troy Andersen
Andersen, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, has struggled to stay healthy throughout his NFL career. The 26-year-old linebacker was expected to be one of the stars on this defense because of his athleticism.
However, that dream hasn’t come to fruition. And Falcons fans would not be mad if the team decided to trade the former FCS standout, who is entering the last year of his rookie deal.
The 6-foot-4, 239-pound linebacker got off to a solid start as a rookie. Andersen appeared in 17 games, while also starting in five contests.
The former Montana State star had 69 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, three QB hits, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. Andersen struggled in pass coverage (135.1 pass rating allowed when targeted and two TDs allowed), but it was expected for a linebacker who was still not a complete player, leaving college.
That said, Falcons fans were excited to see what Andersen could do in Year 2. But that was quickly derailed by injury.
Andersen only played in two games before going down with a concussion and then suffering a grade 3 pectoral tear, putting him on IR. After his sophomore season was a wash, Andersen returned for his third season, hoping to put the injury behind him.
The former second-round pick appeared in seven games, but only started in four. He had 47 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and an interception (returned for a TD). Andersen also improved in pass coverage, sporting a 61.7 pass rating allowed when targeted, and didn’t give up a touchdown.
However, he couldn’t escape the injury bug again. This time, it was a knee injury he suffered in Week 4, which was a lingering problem throughout the 2024 campaign. Eventually, the Falcons put Andersen on injured reserve ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Since he’s struggled to stay healthy, the Falcons might not get much back in terms of draft capital, maybe a late Day 3 pick. They could look to take a flyer on a player from another team that’s looking for a fresh start, too.
Overall, regardless of what happens with Andersen, Falcons fans will always play the what-if game, especially the excitement he had entering the league.