The Atlanta Falcons have worked through their offseason program and Kirk Cousins is still on the roster. While many expected Cousins and his $40 million cap hit to be somewhere else right now, he remains as the Falcons backup quarterback behind first-year starter Michael Penix Jr.
Some would say that Cousins became expendable a long time ago, but he’s not the only Falcon in that situation. OTAs opened the door for a new addition to seize a starting role and it could mean that a player that was projected as a starter has joined Cousins on the chopping block as the 2025 season approaches.
Falcons LB Troy Andersen on Thin Ice Entering Training Camp
Troy Andersen was a second-round pick by the Falcons in the 2022 draft but hadn’t been able to seize a starting role due to his inability to stay on the field. He played all 17 games in his rookie season, making 69 total tackles and three tackles for loss.
Despite earning the starting job the following campaign, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle that caused him to miss the final 14 games. Andersen suffered a concussion early in the 2023 season and dealt with a knee injury for most of last campaign.
With all of the injuries, the Falcons needed to add insurance during the offseason. Divine Deablo came over from the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency and wasted no time impressing his new team with his athleticism throughout the offseason program.
“His athleticism stands out. It’s been unique,” Morris said about Deablo via Falcons team writer Will McFadden. “His length stands out which has been unique. And really him keying and diagnosing behind the ball probably a lot better than we thought, and I’m really fired up to see that.”
While Deablo was making his case for a starting role, Andersen was notably absent throughout most of the team workouts. Raheem Morris didn’t state the cause for the absence but noted that Morgan Fox was the only excused absence from minicamp. Entering the final year of his contract, Andersen hasn’t done much to solidify his tenure in Atlanta and could see it come to an abrupt end during training camp.