According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, the Falcons are signing former Saints and Dolphins linebacker Stephone Anthony.
Anthony was part of the trade that sent tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks and center Max Unger (now retired) to the Saints. He didn’t last long in New Orleans, though.
After starting all 16 games as a rookie he was relegated to the bench in 2016, starting just three times in 10 games. Late in the season, Anthony suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve. A few weeks into the 2017 season, he was traded to Miami for a fifth-round pick.
So far, Anthony has appeared in 50 career games, posting 149 combined tackles (nine for a loss), one interception, one sack and five QB hits.
Last year Atlanta’s defense played in nickel or dime formations 78 percent of the time and they’re already deep at linebacker, so this one is a bit of a head-scratcher. It could have something to do with Kemal Ishmael moving back over to safety due to J.J. Wilcox’s ACL injury.
Update:
The team has announced the signing of Anthony and a few other moves. Apparently, they’re also adding another linebacker: Richie Brown. To make room they waived offensive tackle Lanard Bonner and placed defensive tackle Michael Bennett (ankle) on injured reserve.
