Falcons LB Troy Andersen tore a pectoral muscle in Sunday's loss to the Lions. He'll require surgery that will need four to six months of recovery time, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Nate Landman is expected to start in Andersen's place. It's an upside spot for tackles, but Landman doesn't bring anywhere near Andersen's speed or athleticism.

Falcons LB Troy Andersen injured his right shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Lions, and the team fears he could miss the rest of the season. That's what HC Arthur Smith indicated to reporters Monday. We'll watch for confirmation. Nate Landman is expected to take over Andersen's spot but doesn't bring nearly as much athleticism. We'll see whether Landman is in for full playing time.

Falcons LB Troy Andersen left late in Sunday's loss to the Lions after hurting his right arm or shoulder. Andersen rode the cart to the locker room and had his arm in a sling afterward. We'll watch for a specific diagnosis early in the week.

The Falcons have ruled LB Troy Andersen out for Sunday's game against the Packers. That's no surprise, given Andersen entered the concussion protocol Tuesday. We'll see about his status for Week 3. Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports that Nate Landman is expected to start in Andersen's place. There's upside to the role, but Landman is also a second-year, undrafted free agent who has played just 23 total snaps in the NFL. It's tough to know what we can expect from him Sunday.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith announced Wednesday that LB Troy Andersen has entered the concussion protocol. There was no issue reported during or directly following the game, but Smith said Andersen "didn't feel right" Tuesday. This likely means Andersen will miss Sunday's game against the Packers. We'll watch for more on his status. Tae Davis or Nate Landman could be the next guy up. Neither should be in your Week 2 lineup plans at this point.

The Falcons reached a three-year deal with EDGE Kaden Elliss worth $21.5 million, with $11 million of that guaranteed. It's a big opportunity for a guy who did nothing across his first three seasons with the Saints. Thrust into the lineup last year, the former seventh-round pick delivered seven sacks and 10 QB hits while starting 11 games. Atlanta is clearly looking to him as a full-time starter, but Elliss has plenty yet to prove. He totaled 23 tackles and 1 sack over his first three years in the NFL. Elliss also sports below-average size and speed score for his position. Perhaps something bigger lies ahead, but we're not overly excited about his fantasy prospects as of now.

The Falcons have agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal with S Jessie Bates III, according to multiple sources. Bates is coming off arguably his worst season, his fifth with Cincinnati. Bates' final two years with the Bengals were marred by contract squabbles, as he sought an extension and then played 2022 on the franchise tag. His tackles dwindled, despite no significant change to his role. And Bates matched the lowest Pro Football Focus coverage grade of his career, just two seasons after he led all safeties in overall PFF grade. Atlanta clearly believes the 26-year-old will rebound. We're betting he'll take over the role Jaylinn Hawkins played last year and start next to former second-round pick Richie Grant. The Falcons' safety roles proved nearly interchangeable in terms of where they lined up, which could mean a little more time in the box for Bates. Like Atlanta, we don't have any real long-term concern for Bates' performance. Check out where he sits in our dynasty rankings.

The Falcons and LB Rahsaan Evans are in the early stages of working out a new contract, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Evans signed for just $1.75 million on a one-year deal with Atlanta last offseason, after the Titans declined the fifth-year option on Evans' rookie contract. Evans proceeded to have easily his best pro season by production and playing time. It seems likely that he'll re-sign, which would point to Evans remaining a full-time player. Keep that in mind for dynasty IDP considerations. We're still not ready to bet on long-term success for the former first-round pick, who didn't work out across four seasons in Tennessee.

Falcons EDGE Arnold Ebiketie (forearm) is inactive for today's game against the Steelers.

Falcons rookie EDGE Arnold Ebiketie (arm) is active for today's game against the Commanders. He's a low-level IDP option but carries some sack upside in this matchup.

Falcons CB A.J. Terrell (hamstring) is active for today's game against the Bears. It'll mark his 1st action since Week 7. Terrell hasn't made it through a full game since Week 5. The Chicago matchup hasn't been great for DB scoring, so he's far from a strong IDP option.

Falcons CB A.J. Terrell (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears. He remained limited in practice all week after missing the past 3 games.

The Falcons have ruled CB A.J. Terrell (hamstring) out for Sunday's game against the Chargers. That helps an already-good matchup for QB Justin Herbert and his WRs.

The Falcons have ruled CB A.J. Terrell (hamstring) and S Jaylinn Hawkins (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Panthers. Already down CB Casey Hayward, the Atlanta secondary presents an even friendlier matchup to Carolina QB P.J. Walker and WR D.J. Moore.

Falcons LB Mykal Walker (groin) is off the injury report after putting in 2 full practices to close out the week. Go ahead and get him back into IDP lineups.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Browns are trading for Falcons LB Deion Jones. The veteran brings a wealth of starting experience and a big contract with him. Terms of the trade, though, point to how far his status has fallen. Cleveland is sending just a 6th-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to Atlanta for Jones and a 7th-rounder in the same draft. Atlanta has been rumored to be selling Jones since the offseason, primarily seeking to unload his contract. The Browns likely view Jones as a chance worth taking in a LB corps that lost Anthony Walker for the season and just got abused by Austin Ekeler and the Chargers. We'll see whether and how soon Jones gets a shot at significant playing time. He has yet to take the field this year following offseason shoulder surgery and an August hamstring issue.

Falcons LB Mykal Walker left Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers early in the 2nd half with a groin injury. "Right now, I'm feeling good," he said after the game, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I should be ready to play next week." Walker did add that he was headed for further testing of the injury Monday. We'll see about his status leading up to Sunday's matchup with the 49ers.

The Falcons on Thursday placed LB Deion Jones on IR. It's a surprising move, given that Jones had recently come off the PUP and played in the team's preseason finale. Jones had shoulder surgery early in the offseason. We'll see whether the team reveals how long it expects him to be out. Jones' deactivation leaves Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker looking like the best bets for playing time among Falcons LBs.

Falcons LB Deion Jones returned to the practice field this week for the 1st time following offseason shoulder surgery. He worked with 3rd- and 4th-stringers, though, according to the team website. The highly paid also saw time on the punt team. "I'll give Deion credit, because he's going to come out here and he's going to compete," HC Arthur Smith said afterward. "He's going to work his way back in. It's going to be hard to get on the field in that room. And that's what you want with that competition. Rashaan [Evans] and Mykal Walker are doing a great job. We gotta see what Troy [Andersen] can do. [Nathan] Landman, Dorian [Etheridge]? They've had good preseasons. It's going to play itself out." Jones was the subject of trade/cut rumors before the shoulder surgery sidelined him. Atlanta would probably love to trade him for pretty much anything, which would offer salary-cap relief. Cutting Jones, on the other hand, would cost nearly $25 million in dead cap. The final year on his contract (2023) has much more cuttable terms. All of that is complicated by Jones coming off -- by far -- the poorest-graded season of his career. It seems likely that Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker start ahead of him, at least to open the season. Don't be afraid to just avoid the whole Falcons LB situation in your IDP drafts.

The Falcons opened training camp with LB Deion Jones on the physically unable to perform list. Jones is working back from shoulder surgery that kept him out of the offseason program. The team said at the time that it expected him to be ready for the start of training camp. We'll see how long the veteran stays on the PUP. (Atlanta can activate him at any point.)