The Falcons Revamped Their Defense This Offseason, and Cut Ties With a Former Second-round Pick Along the Way

They revamped their defensive line with veterans Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari, along with linebacker Christian Harris. In the 2026 NFL Draft, they took cornerback Avieon Terrell — brother of Falcons corner A.J. Terrell Jr. — in the second round, then added two more linebackers in later rounds: Oklahoma's Kendal Daniels and LSU's Harold Perkins Jr. But just over a week into training camp, the Falcons have also parted ways with a linebacker and a former second-round pick who came into the league with real promise: Troy Andersen. Atlanta released Andersen on Friday after he sat on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list since the start of camp, adding to what has been an injury-riddled NFL career.

More news Larry Fitzgerald Refuses to Announce Retirement, Despite Entering Hall of Fame. More news Mike Vrabel Sends Clear Message About Second-Year Patriots Receiver. The Falcons selected Andersen in the second round (No. 58 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft after a standout four-year college career at Montana State.

It's rare for a linebacker from an FCS school to go that high in any draft, but his resume backed it up — he was a three-time first-team All-Big Sky honoree and earned first-team FCS All-American and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2021. Expectations were high when he arrived in Atlanta, but he never quite lived up to the hype. After a strong rookie year — 69 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and a forced fumble across 17 games — he's been limited to just nine games over the last three NFL seasons, including missing all of 2025 due to injury.