Falcons LB Troy Andersen 'Excited' to Play with 'Great Human Being' Calais Campbell

Calais Campbell was signed by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this offseason and his veteran leadership is already rubbing off on the younger players.

Jeremy Brener | May 26, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are getting better on and off the field this offseason. Among the acquisitions that support this is signing 16-year veteran defensive end Calais Campbell.

Campbell, a former Walter Payton Man of the Year, was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Campbell is one of five players from that draft still in the NFL, joining New York Jets tackle Duane Brown, New England Patriots specialist Matthew Slater, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson, and Matt Ryan, the former Falcons franchise signal caller.

Being the oldest member on the team warrants respect, and Campbell has earned it in his short time in Atlanta, especially from second-year linebacker Troy Andersen.

"Just a great human being," Andersen said. "Obviously, Year 16 is crazy in the National Football League, and one of the biggest humans I've ever seen. He's going to hopefully do really good things for us. We're excited to have him."

Andersen and Campbell are expected to be major parts of a front seven that needs to improve in order for the Falcons to get back to the postseason. Guided by new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, Atlanta hopes that its defensive line can help anchor a defense that struggled in 2022.

Campbell's leadership should play a key role in the success or failure of the unit, but if the Falcons are already getting behind their new veteran even before training camp, there should be a lot of optimism for Atlanta this upcoming season.

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Published May 26, 2023

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.