Falcons' Arthur Smith Reveals Troy Andersen Injury Update

"They’re evaluating the shoulder," Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. "Sometimes you have to wait until you have MRIs. I don’t have any update on him.”
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Atlanta Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen may soon find himself sidelined once again with an injury.

After recovering from a concussion suffered in Week 1, Andersen hurt his shoulder in the Falcons' 20-6 loss against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field. Coach Arthur Smith had little to share on Andersen's status following the game.

"They’re evaluating the shoulder," Smith said. "Sometimes you have to wait until you have MRIs. I don’t have any update on him.”

Andersen ranked third on the team in tackles with nine in Sunday's loss. Only Jessie Bates III (11) and Kaden Elliss (10) recorded more tackles than Andersen.

Troy Andersen
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen at the NFL Combine / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Should Andersen be unable to play, the Falcons will likely turn to Nate Landman as the starter alongside Elliss.

Landman had an impressive summer in which he went from fringe roster piece to the No. 3 linebacker, a role he officially claimed once Atlanta released incumbent Mykal Walker in the middle of August.

In Andersen's absence in Week 2, Landman stepped up in a big way, recording four tackles in last week's win against the Green Bay Packers.

“I thought he did a fantastic job," assistant head coach Jerry Gray said of Landman last week. "When you look at the runs, our (defensive backs) watched the run plays and he was just hitting guys, and I was like, ‘Woah, that’s amazing.’ That’s what you want. You want linebackers coming downhill hitting guys."

The Falcons travel across the pond this week to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 9:30 a.m.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.