Linebacker has been a sore spot for the Atlanta Falcons since Divine Deablo broke his forearm against the 49ers over two weeks ago.
JD Bertrand has filled in, but has been far from good. He has struggled with his eyes and has pulled this defense backwards. Unfortunately, the coaching staff doesn't have much of a choice with Bertrand, considering one player has yet to be heard from this season.
Troy Andersen started training camp by suffering a knee injury that has turned him into a ghost. We haven't heard from him and we haven't got any concrete timeline for when he might return from IR. That has only continued in Raheem Morris' Friday press conference.
Raheem Morris has been asked about Troy Andersen in nearly every press conference since Divine Deablo suffered his forearm injury. He is not ready to return.
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) October 31, 2025
Morris just this week: "Not near the point of talking about him on a daily basis." https://t.co/3eoAmoRcvR
Things seem shady. We have heard nothing about him, and saying "Not near the point of talking about him on a daily basis," is one of the strangest injury updates I have ever heard.
Something is not right with Falcons LB Troy Andersen
Injuries are nothing new for the Falcons' second-round pick in 2021. He has only appeared in more than seven games once, that coming in his rookie season when he played sparingly over the full season.
He has been expected to be a starter whenever healthy. But it is easy to forget about him, considering the Dirty Birds have been missing him more than he has been available.
He has played nine games in the last two years.
Last season, things were especially frustrating. He started the first four games before getting injured in the fourth quarter against the Saints—a game that landed him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
He would then return six games later—also against the Saints—before missing the next game, playing the next two, and then missing the final four games.
This season, we have yet to hear from him. No one knows when he might return, or if he will return. He is in a contract year—for all we know, he has played his final game with the Falcons.
What we do know is that Jeff Ulbrich needs him. His defense is suffering with the athletic void next to Kaden Elliss. Bertrand is clearly not a starting-caliber player, but there aren't any other options to turn to, minus Josh Woods, unless they strike a deal before the deadline.
The coaches have resorted to playing converted safety Ronnie Harrison at linebacker, which creates other problems with the team's already porous run defense.
It does sound like Jalon Walker's impending return will open things up. He had plenty of experience playing off-the-ball after winning the Butkus Award at Georgia, and is the Falcons' best option moving forward.