Earlier this week, the Atlanta Falcons made a myriad of roster moves to kick off training camp, and among them was placing four players on the active/PUP list: Jawaan Taylor, DeAngelo Malone, Billy Bowman Jr., and Troy Andersen, whom we have not seen take the field since the middle of 2024.
Andersen was placed on the PUP list in training camp last year and wound up never being activated, which led to the final year of his rookie contract being tolled to this year. But starting this summer in the same place he did last summer doesn't exactly bode well for his murky future with the Falcons.
The fifth-year linebacker has showed flashes of being an elite contributor when he's on the field, but that's the thing: he's never healthy. After appearing in all 17 games of his rookie season, he has played in just nine games. It's become a sad story of what-ifs for a once-promising young player.
Troy Andersen is injured and back on the wrong side of the roster bubble
Training camp would have been a golden opportunity for the 27-year-old to prove himself to a new regime, but instead we haven't seen him take the field. He's been rehabbing the same knee injury that saw him miss all of 2025, and missing all offseason activities is indicative of his time with the Falcons.
It's starting to seem like the Dirty Birds don't have a choice but to pull the plug on him. It's clear he's on the wrong side of the roster bubble, as Atlanta's linebacker competition is in full force--and the longer he is sidelined, the more ground he has to make up once he is activated off active/PUP.
Unfortunately for Andersen, the Falcons' linebacker battle is wide open. He'll have to compete with Christian Harris, JD Bertrand, Josh Woods, Channing Tindall, and rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. for playing time behind Divine Deablo, who's roster spot is understandably safe.
Deablo, Harris, and the two rookies seem to be the most safe of the LBs, so the 2022 second-round pick will have to battle it out with Bertrand, Woods, and Tindall for a roster spot in the next few weeks.
The tough part about keeping the Montana product is that wasn't drafted by this regime, or the previous one. While Terry Fontenot was still the GM, Arthur Smith was the head coach that drafted him, which is a testament to just how many people have tried to unlock this guy's potential.
It's sad to think that Troy Andersen was used with the pick the Falcons got in the Julio Jones trade because he's almost never healthy. And if he isn't healthy by the roster cut deadline, it feels like his story in Atlanta may finally come to an end.
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