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FLOWERY BRANCH Barrett Ruud waited only five seconds to address the elephant in the Falcons inside linebacker room, steering the topic away from his active players and toward another whose absence is unmistakable.
Obviously, a different room, Ruud, the Falcons linebackers coach, said during OTAs.
Lost a very good player to the Saints.
That is Kaden Elliss, the former poster child of Ruuds position group and a player so versatile, so adaptable, that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has never had someone wear as many hats.
After starting all 51 games across three seasons with the Falcons, Elliss returned to the Saints, with whom he began his career as a seventh-round pick in 2019.
Elliss signed a three-year, $33 million deal with New Orleans.
That was a price ultimately too rich for the Falcons to match.
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Who steps up? - Tight ends: New coaches bring love for tight ends and Kyle Pitts should benefit - Offensive line: Led by one of the best coaches ever, Falcons offensive line ready to roll - Defensive line: How Falcons plan to replicate historic pass rush with or without Pearce Jr.
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The spring was tough for Ruud, who was a close friend to Raheem Morris and owes his spot in the NFL to the Falcons former coach.
No matter, hes glad to be back.
I felt very fortunate that Kevin (Stefanski) kept me on board, that Brich wanted to keep me on board when they retained him as well.
Nobody had to keep me here.
I know that, so I feel very fortunate that I got another run.
- Tindall, a former Georgia standout, was a third-round pick by the Dolphins in 2022 but hasnt yet made his mark as a linebacker.
Hes played in 51 games and hasnt finished with more than 10 tackles in a season.
He looked like the Falcons third linebacker in OTAs.
- JD Bertrand and Troy Andersen didnt participate in OTAs and minicamp because of lingering injuries.
Both enter this fall on the roster bubble and their availability for the beginning of camp remains unclear.
Training camp information lliw gniniart ot tekcit eht maet nosaes secitcarp nepo nepo eno ni sredloh evah rof ,snaf evisulcxe pmac gnieb yadsendeW ehT ehT yluJ yrewolF snoclaF .hcnarB .13 01.