The Atlanta Falcons have made wholesale changes to their roster and coaching staff this offseason, from hiring Kevin Stefanski to bringing back Matt Ryan as President of Football. On Friday, that overhaul claimed another name: linebacker Troy Andersen, whom the team officially released, according to the Falcons’ official site.
The move comes just days after the Falcons lost rookie Jalon Walker to a season-ending ACL tear during training camp, thinning out an already unsettled linebacker room. NFL insider Ari Meirov confirmed the Andersen news on X: “The #Falcons have released LB Troy Andersen, their 2nd-round pick in 2022. Injuries have been a major issue, but when healthy, he totaled 135 tackles, a pick-six, and a forced fumble.”
The #Falcons have released LB Troy Andersen, their 2nd-round pick in 2022
Injuries have been a major issue, but when healthy, he totaled 135 tackles, a pick-six, and a forced fumble. pic.twitter.com/I0OWRm1saq
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 7, 2026
In a corresponding move, Atlanta signed wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson to fill the open roster spot, per the team’s announcement.
Andersen Never Escaped the Injury Cycle
Atlanta took Andersen 58th overall in the 2022 draft out of Montana State, where he’d played linebacker, running back and quarterback. He looked every bit the athletic marvel scouts flagged coming out — but he could never stay on the field long enough to prove it.
He played all 17 games as a rookie, racking up 69 tackles and three tackles for loss. Then the injuries started stacking up. A shoulder and pectoral injury ended his 2023 season in Week 3. A knee injury suffered against New Orleans in 2024 cost him five straight games; he came back for three more, including a Week 14 start against Minnesota, before landing on injured reserve. He never got healthy enough to appear in a single game in 2025, spending the entire year on the PUP list.
Atlanta restructured his contract this offseason in an attempt to keep him around and give the relationship one more shot. It didn’t matter. Andersen opened 2026 training camp back on the active/PUP list, and the team ultimately decided it couldn’t wait any longer, according to Pro Football Rumors, which reported the move will save Atlanta $1.22 million in cap space with no dead money attached.
The Flashes Were Real
When he was on the field, Andersen played like a player worth the investment. His signature moment came in Week 4 of 2024 against the Saints — 16 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and the first pick-six of his career, returned for a touchdown in Atlanta’s 26-24 win. That performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, according to Atlanta’s team site. He tore his ACL on the very same play that made him a highlight, leaving that afternoon with the knee injury that would define the rest of his season.
Across 26 total games in four seasons, Andersen finished with 135 tackles, a pick-six and a forced fumble — modest volume for a former second-round pick, but a track record that hints at what a healthy version of him could have looked like.
| Season | Games Played | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 (Rookie) | 17 | 69 tackles, 3 TFL |
| 2023 | 2 | Season ended Week 3, shoulder/pec injury |
| 2024 | 7 | Pick-six vs. Saints, ended year on IR with knee injury |
| 2025 | 0 | Entire season on PUP list |
What This Means for Atlanta’s Linebacker Room
The timing stings. Walker’s ACL tear already left new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich searching for answers off the edge, and now Andersen’s release trims the depth chart even further at inside linebacker. Divine Deablo is expected to anchor the room after taking over the green-dot role from Kaden Elliss, who left for New Orleans in free agency. Christian Harris has taken the bulk of first-team reps alongside him through OTAs and minicamp, according to the Falcons’ own training camp preview, with rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. still working to prove themselves at the NFL level.
That leaves Atlanta thinner than planned behind its top two linebackers heading into the preseason, and it’s fair to expect the front office to keep an eye on veteran free agents as camp battles play out over the next few weeks.
For Andersen, the path forward is murkier. He’s now a free agent for the first time in his career, but per Yardbarker’s reporting, a strong market among outside suitors is unlikely until he can prove his knee holds up. At 27, with just 11 career starts across four seasons, he’ll have to show a new team what Atlanta only ever saw in flashes.
