The Atlanta Falcons could be in for severe struggles this upcoming season if their linebacker unit doesn’t outperform its 2022 production.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Falcons’ linebackers as the fifth-worst in the entire NFL entering the 2023 season.
“Atlanta’s linebackers struggled across the board in 2022. Their primary solution will be to take a chance on 2022 breakout Kaden Elliss, who was excellent last season for the Saints, posting an 81.5 overall grade. He offers value off the ball and on the edge and was terrific down the stretch as his usage increased,” said PFF.
Oddly enough, one of the newest members to join Atlanta’s defense might also be one of the most knowledgeable on how it operates.
This upcoming season will mark the first of new Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s regime. However, he and Elliss are both coming from New Orleans, where Nielsen helped the linebacker improve every season statistically since coming into the league in 2019.
“From Week 10 through 18, Elliss led all linebackers in overall grade (89.8), pressures (17) and sacks (6),” said PFF.
Kicking off his second contract, Elliss will be tasked with mentoring an even younger linebacker core with potential but also glaring weaknesses. Luckily, the unit can essentially only outperform the low bar PFF set for them.
Amongst those young, flawed players are Mykal Walker and second-year player Troy Anderson.
Though struggling to earn a 58.7 overall grade from PFF last season (his first as a starter), his four pass breakups and two interceptions provide hope that he can excel in coverage with more consistency going forward.
On the other end of the spectrum sits Anderson, who was essentially guaranteed to allow a completion when passes were thrown in his vicinity as a rookie. His 94.4 percent completion percentage was the worst in the league amongst linebackers that faced 20 or more targets in coverage.
Considering how close Atlanta came to making the playoffs last season and the All-Pro talent featured in both the trenches and secondary heading into 2023, developing the linebackers when training camp begins in the upcoming weeks should be a top priority for coach Nielsen’s defense.
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