Just because JD Bertrand made the Atlanta Falcons' 53-man roster during yesterday's roster cut deadline doesn't exactly mean his job is particularly safe. He won the Falcons' LB5 job over Josh Woods by a hair, but it still seems like he could be replaced by this new regime sooner than later.
Immediately after waivers opened up, Atlanta made a move for another linebacker who is certainly going to push Bertrand. They claimed former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Yasir Abdullah, who's a better fit for the type of play-style defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich requires from his linebackers.
Ulbrich prefers elite athletes like Divine Deablo and Kendal Daniels to roam the middle of the field--as their instincts and sideline-to-sideline range makes it easier to make plays. And considering Bertrand is the furthest thing from a physical specimen, he was already a fish out of water in the LB room.
The Atlanta Falcons now have the ultimate excuse to cut JD Bertrand
The only saving grace the 2024 fifth-round pick has at the moment is special teams value--and even that won't be enough to save him. The Falcons finally have the perfect chance to send him packing, and given it was surprising enough that he made the roster, but it seems like that'll be short-lived.
The Dirty Birds didn't sign Yasir Abdullah for no reason--and his arrival should be what offers Bertrand a pink slip. If they're both going to play behind Deablo, Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr., and Christian Harris anyways, wouldn't you want the fifth linebacker to be the player who is the better schematic fit?
Abdullah ran a 4.47 second 40-yard dash, and was a 2023 fifth-round pick by Jacksonville---where he spent the first three seasons of his career--making 29 appearances primarily on special teams. It'd be one thing if he signed to the practice squad, but Atlanta now has to choose between these two guys.
Since the Louisville product is on the active roster, it seems logical that the corresponding move to follow could be moving on from the player who's job he's supposedly about to take. Even if he's cut, perhaps he ends up on the practice squad as insurance in case someone struggles or gets hurt.
We saw how truly awful it was when Bertrand was starting in Divine Deablo's place on defense last season. That is a doomsday scenario that Ulbrich (and Kevin Stefanski should want to avoid like the plague). Even with Daniels, Perk, and Harris here now, you leave nothing up to chance with injuries.
JD Bertrand's time with the Atlanta Falcons seems to be on its last legs, and it's all because they claimed his possible replacement in Yasir Abdullah at their first opportunity.
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