Falcons Face Lingering Uncertainty at Second LB Position

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have a monumental task to accomplish this season, and work is already underway to make sure it happens.

Not only was Kaden Elliss the emotional core of this defense, but he was also regularly one of its most important players on the field. He quarterbacked the defense, wearing the green dot, and pulled down a team-leading 380 tackles since 2023. The linebacker was a force for Atlanta, but now he’s off to New Orleans.

Jeff Ulbrich’s defense is left with a hole to fill, but they are laying the groundwork for that eventual replacement during organized team activities.

“We're rotating many different guys in there throughout the walkthroughs, throughout the individual periods, throughout 7-on-7, and team,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I think that's the name of the game at linebacker – and also where we are as a team – just rotate guys in and out, see what type of combinations make sense. [We’ll] give guys as many opportunities as they can to put their best foot forward.”

Divine Deablo will wear the green dot this season, but who stands alongside him will need to be figured out.

Former Texans linebacker Christian Harris has been the first guy on the field during media viewing periods, and is the front-runner for the job right now. The veteran is working to get the flow and communication going with Deablo, but this is what he envisioned when he signed his prove-it deal in free agency.

“You gotta earn it, at the end of the day,” Harris said. “I gotta learn the defense, learn the language, and try to lead these guys as best I can. I can’t just come in and expect this sh** to just be given to you.”

Before coming to Atlanta, Harris was a regular starter for the Texans. He appeared in 46 career games (27 starts), where he has accounted for 206 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and an interception. Unfortunately for Harris, most of that production came in his first years in the NFL.

Various injuries plagued the linebacker in 2024, limiting him to three games. He returned in 2025 to a diminished role, with his defensive snap share dropping to just 10% last season. Harris called it tough, but also a blessing because it brought him to his new home.

“Everybody’s got a story or a journey,” he explained. “It might not necessarily go exactly the way you planned for it to, but I just kept my head down and kept working. Now I’m here, and I’m thankful for that.”

He came to Atlanta looking for a fresh start, but the veteran will have plenty of competition for the job this summer.

Channing Tindall, rookie Harold Perkins Jr., and Malik Verdon are the depth players who have also seen action. Rookie Kendal Daniels could factor into that equation when he returns from his lower-body injury. Troy Andersen, meanwhile, has not seen action since December 8, 2024, but he has the traits that Ulbrich wants in his linebackers.

There isn't much starting experience in that group, but there is plenty of versatility. Given the wide range of options for the position, this defense will feature multiple packages to keep offenses off guard.

Second-year defender Jalon Walker is a wild card for the position, at least in a rotational package type of role. He was used almost exclusively off the edge as a rookie, but Ulbrich discussed using him creatively this season. What that exactly entails will only become clear this summer.

All we know for sure is that this unit has plenty of questions left to answer, and the options will continue to rotate until they do. Through all of that, Ulbrich remains confident in what he believes his group can accomplish.

“That linebacker group already has amazing chemistry, and you can see the intense competition in that group,” Ulbrich said. “Whoever ends up being the starter is going to have to earn it, because there's a lot of talent in that room. Whoever is the backup better be ready to play, because I think there's going to be a role that they all deserve to have in some capacity.”

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