You may not realize it, but Tua Tagovailoa isn't the only ex-Miami Dolphin the Atlanta Falcons signed this offseason. And because of linebacker Channing Tindall, he's not the only one who's NFL career is approaching a crossroads as he enters his first training camp as a member of the red and black.
Tindall signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum with the Falcons in free agency, which will mark his third NFL destination in as many seasons. He spent three year in Miami before spending last season in Arizona, and at this point isn't much more than a depth linebacker or career journeyman.
Thankfully, there are high hopes for the 26-year-old to turn his career around. Tindall is an uber-athletic linebacker, and there aren't many coaches who do better with a player of his archetype than Jeff Ulbrich--but the first step is showing the staff enough to warrant making the final 53-man roster.
Channing Tindall may be on the wrong side of the Falcons' roster bubble
Unfortunately for Tindall, his standing on the roster bubble is by no fault of his own. Atlanta is just days away from embarking on a major position battle at linebacker, which will determine who will assume the other roster spots and the other key roles alongside LB1 and green dot Divine Deablo.
The Falcons are expecting fourth-round rookie Kendal Daniels to be a full go once training camp begins, and he should quickly carve out a key role. However, fellow free-agent pickup Christian Harris took most of the first-team reps during OTAs, and is the early frontrunner to start alongside Deablo.
The linebacker competition is incredibly crowded. In addition to Daniels and Harris, Tindall is competing for playing time with the following players:
- JD Bertrand
- Troy Andersen
- Harold Perkins Jr.
The Georgia product ran a 4.47 second 40-yard dash and recorded a 9.82 RAS during his pre-draft process, so there is clearly untapped potential to be had. If there's anyone who can help him turn his career around it's Ulbrich. But Perkins has already made a strong impression and Andersen is in the same boat as the 2022 third-round pick if he can stay healthy. So he has a lot of fighting left to do.
While Tindall has made 51 career appearances, he has yet to make a single start and has recorded just 24 combined tackles. So he feels a lot more like a camp body than a key starter, and ultimately I believe one of the toughest roster decisions they'll make will come down to him and Andersen.
This time last year, Channing Tindall failed to survive the summer with the Dolphins and spent the majority of last season on Arizona's practice squad. So if he doesn't make a strong impression in training camp and during the preseason, his Falcons (and NFL) future could be in real jeopardy.
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