Atlanta Falcons fans received unfortunate injury news about fourth-year linebacker DeAngelo Malone after he exited the Week 10 loss in the second half with an ankle injury and did not return. ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported on Monday that the fourth-year linebacker will miss "significant time".
Morris: LB DeAngelo Malone will "miss some significant time" with an ankle injury. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 10, 2025
This injury likely marks the end of Malone's dreadful tenure in Atlanta. Malone hasn't recorded more than eight tackles since his rookie campaign in 2022, when he secured 18. The 26-year-old recorded three sacks over 58 games in Atlanta.
DeAngelo Malone's injury update likely marks the end of a disappointing tenure
To be fair, Malone has played 75% of special team snaps over his career, but came in as an edge threat. But what's making his time in Atlanta even more disappointing is how it started.
In March 2022, the Falcons traded legendary quarterback Matt Ryan to the Colts for a third-round pick in the 2022 Draft. A couple of months later, the Falcons selected Malone with the pick they received. The star linebacker set the Western Kentucky record with 34 career sacks throughout his five seasons (thanks to COVID).
Although just a third-round pick, Falcons fans had high expectations, especially after his nine sacks over 14 games in his Senior year of College. Unfortunately, things didn't go the way Atlanta planned, and Malone turned into a huge bust.
If his injury is season-ending, it will likely bring an end to his time in Atlanta. Malone is in the final season of his rookie contract, and the Falcons would be ridiculous to extend him. Looking back on that heartbreaking Ryan trade, the Colts didn't do much better in Ryan's lone season in Indianapolis;
Through 12 injury-riddled games, Ryan was 4-7-1 and threw 14 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. The Colts finished 4-12-1 and lost the final seven games of the season. The Falcons got longevity from a depth linebacker, but neither team really won the trade.
The Falcons desperately needed Malone to step up. Entering 2025, Atlanta has been near the bottom of the NFL in sacks for four straight seasons. If Malone panned out, it would have been a giant success story. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way for general manager Terry Fontenot.
He just barely made the Week 1 roster, but know fans can only get upset as they watch another whiff exit the facilities in Flowery Branch. Here's hoping Malone has a speedy recovery.