For years now, the Atlanta Falcons have been waiting for Troy Andersen to turn a corner. Or more accurately, they've been waiting for him to remain healthy on a consistent basis. When he's been on the field, the potential has been immense, but we haven't seen him play since midway through 2024.
And it seems like the Falcons are done chasing waterfulls and finally cut bait with their former prized second-rounder. Per the team, Atlanta is releasing Andersen and signing WR Kristian Wilkerson in a corresponding move, so I guess the redemption story he was hoping for won't be coming soon.
The Falcons selected Andersen with the pick they received in the trade that sent Julio Jones to Tennessee, and it wasn't pretty. After appearing in all 17 games as a rookie, the injury bug hit, as he appeared in just nine games across the ensuing two seasons and missed all of 2025 due to injury.
The Falcons released Troy Andersen before he could turn things around
The 27-year-old was placed on the PUP list to begin last season, but was ultimately never activated, That led to the final year of his rookie contract being tolled, and this new regime was willing to cut bait before he ever took a snap during training camp--as he's spent the summer on the active/PUP list.
Troy Andersen is a sad story for Falcons fans to have to endure. His performance in Week 4 of 2024 against the New Orleans Saints was proof of what he could've been if healthy. He delivered a career-high 16 tackles, logged his first-career pick-six, and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
The sideline-to-sideline range was on display as a rookie, as was his ability to make big plays, but ultimately, the injury woes won out. Jeff Ulbrich is the linebacker guru, but if he can't even stay healthy long enough for Ulbrich to work his magic, it's not worth clinging onto the hope of the past.
The Montana State product will now hit free agency, where he hopes another team will take a chance on his potential. But considering the injury woes have lingered, hopefully the athleticism that made him such a captivating prospect back in 2022 is still in there--especially if the right situation surfaces.
The Atlanta Falcons waited long enough on Troy Andersen, but ultimately seeing him again injured in training camp got this to an area where this was no option not to cut bait. For as much as they may have believed in a former Day 2 pick, it was clear he was operating on borrowed time this summer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google