Divine Deablo has been everything the Atlanta Falcons hoped for and more. The converted safety from the Raiders has turned into one of the best linebackers in the entire NFL this season.
Unfortunately, he had to leave Sunday's game against the 49ers with what ended up being diagnosed as a fractured forearm. It came out of nowhere, and he will now miss many weeks, leaving this team with a big defensive void.
Deablo knew that too, as he tried to do something that many players could never even dream of doing, as pointed out by Jessie Bates III. Like a true fighter, he managed to fight through that pain for an additional drive.
Jessie Bates said Divine Deablo stayed in for another series even after knowing he broke his forearm. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) October 23, 2025
For a linebacker to do this is a true rarity. There is no way for a linebacker to avoid contact on their arms, yet he was able to ignore everything and remain in the game.
Divine Deablo continued to play with a broken forearm vs. 49ers
Hearing this immediately reminded me of when Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton broke his leg on a comebacker in the 2021 World Series, before throwing 12 extra pitches and retiring three batters (and then apologizing it wasn't more).
Obviously, this wasn't even close to the same stage as Morton's, but it is still impressive.
Unfortunately, he couldn't (and can't) continue doing that, even though the Falcons need him on the field in the worst way possible. Clearly, it was a risk for him to ignore going to the medical staff. It put him at risk of further damage.
Letting him heal for the long-term is the only option the team has.
Linebacker is such a physical position, as they are not only relied on as the top tacklers on the defense, but they are also asked to run full speed into 300-pound linemen. And it's that physicality that risks the breakout star being placed on injured reserve.
Arms are so important to the position. You can't take on blocks without a tool to keep blockers away from your body. Maybe if he played another position, he could stay on the field, but not at arguably the most physical position on defense.
For now, the Dirty Birds have to rely on JD Bertrand, the second-year LB out of Notre Dame, to replace Deablo. He didn't look great on Sunday, but he was also thrown right into the fire. They will look for a better performance against Miami.