ESPN Predicts Atlanta Falcons 'Biggest Surprise Player'

When Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris looked at his linebacking room after last season, he saw a mixed bag. On one hand, Kaden Elliss is a consistent playmaker who excels in just about every facet of playing the position in the NFL. 

While Elliss doesn't ring any bells on a national level because he doesn't self-promote or jump in front of every available camera or microphone. Instead, he makes plays against the pass, the run, and blitzes.

Meanwhile, Troy Andersen is the defense's biggest question. Blessed with phenomenal speed and the potential to make the breathtaking play, Andersen flies through gaps, bends around the corner, and sifts through the trash to make the play. 

As a result, when healthy, he gives the unit the force in the middle to change the outcome of games. However, the phrase "when healthy" continues to cast a dark cloud over Andersen's entire career. Starting 11 games in three seasons means that the Falcons cannot trust him to stay on the field, through no fault of his own. 

The last we saw Andersen fully healthy, he was being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after a 17-tackle, pick-six performance against the Saints… in September of 2024. 

During the offseason, the team signed free agent linebacker Divine Deablo, who flew under the radar. Make no mistake, Andersen is the bigger, stronger, faster player. However, Deablo brings something to the table that he doesn't: availability. During last year alone, Deablo started 14 games, which overshadows any of Andersen's field time. 

The Falcons signed Deablo because they couldn’t count on Andersen to be healthy. Deablo will begin the season starting next to Elliss, and ESPN’s Marc Raimondi thinks Deablo could relegate even a healthy Andersen to a role player. ESPN listed every team’s biggest potential surprise player in 2025, and Deablo made the cut for the Falcons. 

“The Falcons didn't have the salary-cap room to make any huge splashes in free agency this offseason,” wrote Raimondi on ESPN. “But the team thinks they really found something in Deablo, whose base salary is only $1.66 million this season.

“Head coach Raheem Morris has been impressed with Deablo's size (6-foot-3), length, and speed. Even more than that, Morris believes Deablo is capable of wearing the green dot as kind of the quarterback of the defense. It sounds like the former Raider has a solid chance at a starting job at inside linebacker alongside Kaden Elliss.”

With that said, how should the Falcons use him? Like Raimondi wrote, kicking him inside and letting him work in the interior and get sideline to sideline. Deablo can move laterally, having played a hybrid safety role at Virginia Tech.

Additionally, Elliss's knack for getting to the ball makes Diablo's job easier. For instance, on wide run plays, the edges will string the play out, not allowing the back to get to the corner. Under those circumstances, Atlanta may turn the page on Andersen. In an ideal world, Andersen plays an entire season. However, the past is prologue, and the team cannot depend on his health. If Deablo is the biggest surprise, Andersen is the defense’s biggest wildcard.