Atlanta Falcons Adding Former Bengals Linebacker

The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly adding former Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Brian Asamoah II to bolster the position, according to NFL insider Jordan Shultz, who was the first to report the news Wednesday morning.

The Falcons have carried five linebackers on their active roster this season, with two of them being rookies. Those first-year players, Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr., have been regular contributors to the defense this season, taking the vast majority of snaps alongside veteran Divine Deablo. Christian Harris and Josh Woods, who hold depth roles, have done all of their work on special teams.

Asamoah, 26, played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. He appeared in 37 games over three seasons (2019-21), recording 179 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 5.0 sacks, five passes defended, and an interception.

His breakout season came in 2021, when he tallied 90 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, and two forced fumbles. Asamoah was named second-team All-Big 12 honors that year, and he later declared for the NFL Draft.

The Vikings selected Asamoah in the third round (No. 66 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he would play three seasons in Minnesota. He totaled 30 tackles over that span, including a career-high of 17 coming in his rookie season in 2022.

Asamoah was waived by the Vikings in 2025 during training camp, and he began bouncing around the league. He landed with the Tennessee Titans that summer, but would not make the roster. The Las Vegas Raiders signed him to their practice squad a few weeks later, but released him two months later.

His most recent stop was with the Cincinnati Bengals following his release in Nashville. Asamoah made four appearances for the Bengals with a special teams role, but recorded no stats.

He then suffered a knee injury in Week 13 and was placed on the injured reserve.

In Atlanta, he will compete with Woods and Harris for a depth/special-teams role, pending a secondary announcement from the team.