It became painfully clear this offseason that the Atlanta Falcons had no room for Troy Andersen in their linebacker room. And since the injury-prone LB started training camp on the PUP list, the Falcons finally cut bait, releasing Andersen before he could even take a snap during training camp.
On paper, it may seem like an easy decision. The guy hasn't played since mid-2024, and you can only cling onto his NFC Defensive Player of the Week performance for so long. However, the real reason they released him wasn't anything he did or didn't do, it was because of some other LBs shining.
Falcons rookie linebackers Harold Perkins Jr. and Kendal Daniels were the real reason Atlanta felt comfortable releasing the former second-round pick. Both of them have been among the stars of training camp to this point and have much higher upside for this defensive coaching staff to explore.
Harold Perkins Jr. and Kendal Daniels made the Falcons feel comfortable cutting Troy Andersen
Both Perkins and Daniels have been receiving first-team reps with the Falcons' defense, and they're both pushing the incumbent Christian Harris for the second starting linebacker spot. Meanwhile, Andersen would have been competing with Channing Tindall to receive second-team opportunities.
The AJC's Daniel Flick reported that Daniels saw "extensive snaps" next to Divine Deablo during Friday's practice, as the 6-foot-5, 242-pound athletic freak has a very similar play style to Atlanta's new green dot--especially considering they're both converted safeties with range to make plays all over the field.
And then you have Perkins who has gotten way more meaningful reps than you'd expect frtom a player the Dirty Birds selected outside the top 200. He's rotated in to get his fair share of reps next to Deablo, and it seems like he's clearly earned the trust of this Falcons defensive coaching staff.
Ever since Jalon Walker tore his ACL, this Falcons staff has started to experiment more with Perkins' versatility. They've been lining him up off the edge and at off-ball linebacker, and considering he's a bit of a tweener, he's the perfect candidate to fill the role that Walker and Kaden Elliss left behind.
He can get to the quarterback and make plays as a tackler, so he should become the new swiss-army knife on defense while Daniels is the perfect long-term running mate for Deablo. Both of them are carving out every-down roles for Jeff Ulbrich's defense, which was the nail in the coffin for Andersen.
The more that Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. turn heads during Falcons training camp, the more inevitable it was going to be that they would end Troy Andersen's hopes of turning his career around.
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