Atlanta Falcons Sign Former Arizona Cardinals Starter to Fill ‘Thin’ Position

With Nate Landman going on injured reserve, the Atlanta Falcons have bolstered their linebacker depth with a former Arizona Cardinals starter.

The Atlanta Falcons have signed former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Woods / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have added depth to a sudden position of need.

Atlanta has signed inside linebacker Josh Woods to the practice squad, the team announced Thursday in a press release.

Woods joins a linebackers room that has only three players — Kaden Elliss, Troy Andersen and fifth-round rookie J.D. Bertrand — on the active roster. Atlanta placed starting linebacker Nate Landman on injured reserve Monday due to quad and calf injuries.

During the Falcons’ 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, Elliss played all 71 defensive snaps while Andersen was on the field for 67 snaps. Bertrand only played special teams. In Week 1, Landman and Andersen alternated next to Elliss.

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Now forced to play without Landman for at least three more weeks. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, speaking in a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon, noted Atlanta lacked depth at linebacker.

“We’re probably a little thin,” Morris said. "But got a lot of confidence in those three guys to go out there and execute what we need to get done in order to allow Landman to get back and be ready to play for us when he gets healthy."

In steps the 28-year-old Woods, who entered the NFL in 2018 and has spent time with the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. Across five professional seasons, Woods has appeared in 65 games with eight starts, collecting 122 tackles, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.

In 2023, Woods started seven games and played in four others with the Cardinals. He totaled a career-high 61 tackles and two tackles for loss. He played in 78% of Arizona’s defensive snaps in the 11 games during which he saw action.

Woods, who stands 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and attended the University of Maryland, has not played a snap — be it game or practice — since being placed on injured reserve Dec 20, 2023, due to an abdominal injury.

The Falcons worked out Woods on Sept. 13, and will now get to spend significant time with him moving forward.