Falcons Cut Andersen, Add a Receiver — the Linebacker Room Is Still the Problem

Atlanta released Troy Andersen on Friday and signed wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, a transaction that tidies one roster spot while doing nothing about the position that actually needs help. Andersen, a talented but injury-prone linebacker, clears the way for the team to move on. Wilkerson addresses receiver depth, which is a real need — the Falcons carried just one wideout with meaningful playing time last season. Fine. But the linebacker corps remains the most structurally compromised unit on this defense.

The depth chart there is essentially one name deep. Josh Woods is the starter, and behind him sit Duke Ejiofor and Daveren Rayner, neither of whom logged meaningful snaps last season. Woods himself was a below-average producer at the position in 2025. Billy Bowman Jr., who contributed in a hybrid role before going down, is currently listed as out. Cutting Andersen removes a body without replacing one.

This matters more now than it would have a week ago. Jalon Walker's torn ACL, suffered at practice on August 4, already gutted the pass-rush depth. The defensive front and linebacker levels are now both thin in the same way — one reliable contributor, then a drop to players with no track record. The Falcons' defense finished last season as a unit that bent and occasionally broke; the offseason hasn't added much reinforcement there.

The Wilkerson signing is a camp roster move, not a statement. The linebacker situation, though, is a real gap heading into the season, and Friday's transaction didn't touch it.