Falcons vs. Jets DEFENSE Snap Counts: Rookie LBs Lead The Way

Take a look at Monday night's snap counts.
In this story:

The Atlanta Falcons are looking to improve at the linebacker position with the infusion of a youth movement.

While this may not bring immediate success, it could bring long-term quality to the Atlanta linebacking corps.

In this week's snap counts, Arthur Smith gave two rookie linebackers in particular the most snaps out of anyone on the defense.

Player

Snaps

Percentage

Nate Landman, LB

32

56

Troy Andersen, LB

32

56

Corey Ballentine, CB

31

54

Teez Tabor, FS

29

51

Lafayette Pitts, CB

29

51

Timothy Horne, DT

26

46

Abdullah Anderson, DE

25

44

Dorian Etheridge, LB

24

42

Dean Marlowe, SS

23

40

Mike Ford, CB

23

40

Darren Hall, CB

23

40

DeAngelo Malone, LB

22

39

Arnold Ebiketie, LB

22

39

Jordan Brailford, LB

22

39

Henry Black, SS

21

37

Matt Hankins, SS

21

37

Nick Thurman, DE

18

32

Dee Alford, CB

18

32

Quinton Bell, LB

16

28

Jalen Dalton, DT

16

28

Erik Harris, FS

15

26

Derrick Tangelo, DT

14

25

Kuony Deng, LB

13

23

Richie Grant, SS

13

23

Rashaan Evans, LB

13

23

Mykal Walker, LB

13

23

Jaylinn Hawkins, FS

13

23

Ade Ogundeji, LB

11

19

Lorenzo Carter, LB

11

19

Darren Daniels, DT

10

18

Ta'Quon Graham, DE

10

18

Anthony Rush, DT

8

14

A.J. Terrell, CB

5

9

Casey Hayward, CB

5

9

Second-round linebacker Troy Andersen had a slow start to camp, but has picked it up in recent days. He'll play a large role for the team this season and could be a starter by season's end.

While undrafted free agent Nate Landman hasn't secured his spot on the team, the Falcons have really bought in to the former Colorado Buffalo. The fact that he played a large amount of snaps shows the team's investment. However, with several other linebackers ready to play, including veteran Deion Jones, who just came off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List Wednesday, Landman will have to play well with his opportunities Saturday in the team's final preseason game against the Jaguars.


Published
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.