The Atlanta Falcons must be dangerously thin at linebacker. On Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Falcons had signed free agent Stephone Anthony, a former first-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints back in 2015. Anthony initially won the starting job at middle linebacker but was soon benched after the Saints completely overhauled their defensive coaching staff. He was later traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he played until his contract expired after the 2018 season.
Anthony was among the Dolphins’ leaders in special teams snaps played last year, which made a reunion with the Saints possible considering they hired Miami’s special teams coordinator (Darren Rizzi) for the same job in New Orleans this offseason. But Rizzi evidently wasn’t interested enough for such a move to materialize, and now he’ll get to plan against his former protege.
With the Falcons having signed starting linebacker Deion Jones to a lucrative contract extension earlier in July, Anthony’s best bet at making the team will come through his contributions on punt and kickoff coverage. Despite his shortcomings in calling the Saints defense, he’ll have an opportunity to make the cut as long as he can still run and move well around the field.
