Falcons Provide Injury Update on LB Troy Andersen

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris appeared to have a very positive update on injured linebacker Troy Andersen on Thursday.

“Troy’s doing well. Obviously, Troy's on ‘PUP.’ I don't want to say he's ahead of schedule, but he's on schedule," Morris told reporters. "We feel really good about him. He's feeling really good about himself. I see him every single day. He's locked and loaded. Can't wait for him to get back.”

But as Morris continued to describe Andersen's rehab progress, the head coach seemed to portray the linebacker's situation less optimistically.

"We'll see where [Andersen on the PUP list] goes. I don't know exactly what that entails. Obviously, when you're on the ‘PUP,’ we activate you when we activate you," Morris added. "We'll get a feel for what that feels like just from a medical standpoint and where he's at in his rehab and things of that nature. It's the schedule that I'm talking about.

"Not necessarily dealing with the season because I want to get Troy back when he's at full health and ready to go as opposed to trying to rush a guy back for the season. So, it could be for the season, and it could not be. When I say that, I mean he hasn't had a setback in what he's doing in his current rehab and things to get back for us.”

In other words, Andersen will be ready when he's ready. But even though the linebacker is progressing, it doesn't sound like there's a great chance that he's going to be before Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season.

The Falcons placed Andersen on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform List) on July 24 because of a knee injury.

The same ailment landed Andersen on injured reserve to end the 2024 season. He played in just seven games becaue of the injury.

In 2023, the linebacker dressed for only two contests because of a torn pectoral muscle.

But when healthy this season, Andersen is expected to be a significant part of Atlanta's defense. Last season, he started four of his seven contests. In those seven games, Andersen played 64% of Atlanta's defensive snaps, posting 47 combined tackles, including one for loss. He also had one interception and one pass defense.

For Andersen to play in Week 1 of the regular season, the Falcons will have to remove the linebacker from the PUP list before the end of training camp. Until that happens, Andersen is not permitted to participate in team practices.

If Andersen remains on the PUP list after training camp, he will be required to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season.