The opportunity to step up came, and the Falcons linebacker wasn't ready to do so Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Stats Reveal that Falcons Sophomore Linebacker Not Ready for Action

Originally posted on Atlanta Falcons on SI
By Arkesh Ray | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 1:50 PM ET

Atlanta Falcons' second-year linebacker J.D. Bertrand was thrust into the starting role when Divine Deablo went down with a forearm fracture during a Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 8, Bertrand struggled as the Miami Dolphins consistently targeted him in coverage.

On Monday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its grades from Sunday’s games, and the numbers back up the eye test. Bertrand was not good on Sunday and appears unready for the workload he was given.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said that the approach to replacing Deablo would be a committee approach, with Josh Woods, DeMarcco Hellams, Jordan Fuller, Bertrand and Ronnie Harrison all taking snaps at linebacker. This was not the case; Fuller Woods, Hellams and Harrison combined for 27 total snaps. Bertrand had 68 snaps, only four defenders in the entire game, for both teams, saw more snaps than him.

According to PFF’s tracking stats, the second-year defender was targeted nine times. Of those nine, eight ended in completions and two went for touchdowns. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a 142.4 passer rating when throwing the ball in Bertrand’s direction.

PFF’s grades have not been very good this year; however, Bertrand’s game-low 28.8 grade seems fitting. He was picked on seemingly every snap, surrendering completions on 88.8% of his targets and two touchdowns, a brutal outing on any standard.

Bertrand’s inability to (as of yet) be a dominant linebacker is a sign of organizational failure.

I don't blame JD Bertrand for being out there. He's doing his best. It's an organizational failure that JD Bertrand is out there
— Atlanta Falcons On SI (@FalconsSI) October 26, 2025

Atlanta had no depth at linebacker outside of their starters, in Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo, and it showed on Sunday. Going forward, something needs to change, as both the numbers and the eye test show that Bertrand is not ready for the workload he received on Sunday.

Atlanta has embraced a “next-man-up” mentality this season, but on Sunday, those players did not step up.

“You’re always going to miss those players,” head coach Raheem Morris said in regards to Divine Deablo. “But nobody cares. It’s always going to be the next-man-up mentality.”

But as Sunday showed, that mentality only works when that next man up is prepared to deliver. Bertrand wasn’t alone in his struggles, nor was he the lone culprit for Atlanta’s blowout loss, but his performance underscored a bigger concern for Atlanta: depth and development at the linebacking position. With Deablo sidelined for at least three more games, the Falcons need to figure out quickly what to do at linebacker, but one thing is for sure. There has to be a change.