Atlanta Falcons Release Enigmatic Linebacker

The Atlanta Falcons made what could be a final transaction with oft-injured linebacker Troy Andersen. Then again, maybe it isn't the final move.

When Troy Andersen was last fully healthy, he was NFC Defensive Player of the Week. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - When we last saw former Atlanta Falcons second-round pick Troy Andersen fully healthy, he was wreaking havoc on the New Orleans Saints with 17 tackles and an interception en route to being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

That was 23 month ago.

Andersen injured his knee at the end of that same game and was inactive for the next five games. He made an attempt to return to action in Week 10 at New Orleans that year but managed just two more games after that, looking like a shell of his former self. We haven't seen him on the field since.

The Falcons announced on Friday morning they have released Andersen. He had been working on one of the side fields away from the rest of the team, trying to work his way back to fitness. He had been on the PUP list, but now he's on the waiver wire.

Andersen was a former second-round pick at No. 58 overall in 2022. The second-round pick formerly belonged to the Tennessee Titans, obtained by the Falcons in a trade for legendary receiver Julio Jones.

Andersen was a standout at the Senior Bowl during the pre-draft process, and his testing numbers pegged the charts. His relative athletic score (RAS) was a 9.98 after running a 4.42 forty at 243 pounds.

He had an unorthodox college career, playing running back, linebacker, and quarterback at Montana State. He was the conference defensive player of the year in 2021 after scoring 21 rushing touchdowns in 2018.

He's always been a tantalizing talent, but if his career is done with the Atlanta Falcons, he'll exit having made only 11 starts in four years. This doesn't necessarily mean his time with the Falcons is over. necessarily. Procedural moves are made all the time before the season and during the season to clear a roster spot, and Andersen could conceivably be re-signed once he clears waivers.

It might be his last chance with the Falcons, though. Atlanta treated the offseason as if they weren't counting on him as being part of the team. They signed Christian Harris and Channing Tindall in free agency, and they drafted Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. at linebacker in April.

Harris is the presumed starter next to Divine Deablo, but Perkins and Daniels have seen extensive time during training camp, rotating in with the number one defense. The Falcons only took four linebackers on the initial 53-man roster last season, and unless they add another spot this year, there wasn't a definite place for him, or last year's No. 3 linebacker JD Bertrand.

The flurry of contract extensions for former general manager Terry Fontenot draft picks recently was a reminder that he didn't miss very much when he was drafting in the 10, it was after the first round, with Andersen as a prime example, where things fell apart more often than not in the previous regime.

Sign up for our free Atlanta Falcons newsletter and follow us and 30,000 Falcons fans on Facebook and X for the latest news!