BOULDER — Nate Landman is headed to the NFL.
Colorado’s All-American linebacker wasn’t selected in the 2022 NFL Draft but he signed a deal as a college free agent with the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday. He is currently part of the Falcons’ 90-man roster and he’ll have four months to prove should be part of the 53-man regular-season roster this fall. Even if he misses the cut, he’ll have a chance to stick around on the 16-man practice squad in Atlanta or somewhere else.
The Falcons switched from a fairly simple 4-3 base, Cover 3 defense to a more complex 3-4 zone blitz scheme last offseason. Now the Falcons load up in varied fronts in the box and try to confuse the offense about who is rushing and who is dropping back in coverage. The odd front allows Atlanta to play a one-gap system, in which defenders are assigned a gap to penetrate instead of reading where the ball is going and and reacting.
Landman should fit well within this system. While his elite instincts and football smarts may be wasted slightly since he won’t asked to make complex reads, he’ll be able to play close to the line of scrimmage with an emphasis on getting into the backfield, while avoiding significant coverage responsibilities.
Atlanta is paying big money to two inside linebackers, and it’s difficult to foresee LAndman stealing reps from either of them. Deion Jones is primarily a coverage linebacker while Rashaan Evans is more well-rounded. Long-term, Landman could carve out a role in 3-4 sets while Jones plays in sub packages, but Landman will likely only see the field if one of the two established starters misses time.
And that’s assuming Landman can earn himself a roster spot.
The competition at backup linebacker isn’t overwhelming. Mykal Walker started six games as a rookie in 2020 and two games in 2021. Rashad Smith has bounced around five team during his two previous seasons in the league. Dorian Etheridge played in seven games last year as a rookie and recorded one tackle.
The elephant in the room is Troy Andersen, the winner of the FCS defensive player of the year award in 2021, who joined the Falcons over the weekend as a second-round draft pick. The 6-foot-4 athletic freak is a raw prospect coming out of Montana State and the Falcons could play him at inside linebacker or outside linebacker in their system. Since the Falcons have two established starters on the inside, don’t be surprised if Andersen gets early work on the outside, which could free up some space for Landman on the roster.
Expect the Falcons to hold onto four inside linebackers soon their initial roster, which will include Jones and Evans, and probably Andersen. That leaves one spot for Landman or the returning depth backers, unless the Falcons decide to keep five or count Andersen as an outside linebacker.
Overall, Landman has a solid chance to make the Falcons’ opening day roster. If he doesn’t, LAndman shouldn’t have too much trouble carving out a spot on the practice squad, either in Atlanta or elsewhere.
Former CU defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson also signed a deal with the Falcons, but it’s only for mini-camp. He’ll have a few days to earn himself a spot on the 90-man roster ahead of fall camp. As an undersized defensive linemen, this scheme should suit him well. He has plenty of experience working in odd-front, one-gap systems at CU.
