The Falcons made a move this offseason that could come back to haunt them in 2026, and it starts with Kaden Elliss.
Atlanta’s new general manager, Ian Cunningham, let the veteran linebacker walk, and the sting got worse when Elliss landed with the New Orleans Saints, the team that drafted him and the Falcons’ biggest rival. For a defense trying to build on a solid 2025 season, losing a player like that feels like a major blow.
Elliss wasn’t just another starter. He was Jeff Ulbrich’s do-it-all piece, the kind of linebacker who made the whole defense easier to run.
The Saints gave him a three-year, $33 million deal, and the Falcons should have understood exactly what they were giving up. At $11 million per year, he was a bargain for a player who could call plays, organize the unit, handle coverage duties and still threaten as a blitzer.
That’s why the decision to move on from him is so hard to square. Atlanta now has to figure out where that brainpower and production are supposed to come from.
Divine Deablo had a strong season, but he doesn’t bring enough size for Ulbrich to trust him consistently taking on blockers one-on-one. The Falcons also added Christian Harris, but his career has mostly been built on special teams work. There’s hope there, but expecting Harris to come close to Elliss is asking a lot.
Behind those two, the depth chart gets shaky fast. Troy Andersen doesn’t need much explanation.
JD Bertrand was benched last season. Channing Tindall has been a special teamer.
The team is also leaning on rookies Harold Perkins Jr. and Kendal Daniels to be more than you’d normally expect from mid-to-late-round picks.
The concern isn’t just talent. It’s size.
Andersen and Daniels are the only players mentioned in that group who weigh more than 240 pounds, and this defense still has to deal with the physical side of the game. The league may be trending faster, but Atlanta still needs linebackers who can attack blocks, especially after finishing in the bottom 10 in run defense.
Jalon Walker is the other major variable. He’s expected to spend more time off the ball than he did as a rookie, but that comes with a tradeoff: it removes one of the Falcons’ best pass-rushing weapons from the edge mix. That matters even more because the edge spot looks a little less stable than it did a year ago.
For a defense under pressure to hold steady in 2026, losing Elliss could be the move that throws everything off.
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