Falcons’ Divine Deablo takes lead at open linebacker spot
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
FLOWERY BRANCH — Divine Deablo did not know he was going to be the star of the team meeting.
But the linebacker, who signed a $7.7 million deal with the Falcons in free agency after playing four seasons with the Raiders, was among the players praised when the group met this week.
“You see this dude running around, I mean with his length, his speed, his athleticism and his physicality,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “You see him running around making a lot of plays. A lot of people (didn’t) realize how good of a player he is, because he’s a low-key guy.”
Deablo leaped on the Falcons’ radar in the 15-9 win over the Raiders on Dec. 16. He had six tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
“I say my height and my speed,” Deablo said of his best attributes. “I feel like I’m very tall, 6-3 and three quarters. Usually I say 6-4, but and I’m really fast, so I think my speed for sure.”
Deablo will have to beat out Troy Andersen after the latter returns from the physically-unable-to-perform list. JD Bertrand, Josh Woods, Caleb Johnson and Nick Kubitz also are on the roster. Malik Verdon is on the nonfootball injury/illness list.
Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss has been impressed.
“He’s a special player,” Elliss said. “He’s athletic. He’s smart. He’s strong. He’s got great coverage ability. He’s fun to play with.”
The two appear to be working well together with the first-team defense.
“Kaden makes my job easy,” Deablo said. “He does everything right. Kaden is awesome.”
Fontenot likes Deablo’s approach to the game.
“He’s kind of nonchalant, not in a bad way, but he’s a low-key guy,” Fontenot said. “You might not know much about him. He’s just (jersey) number zero out there, but this dude’s a really good player.”
Deablo has not brought attention to himself.
“You don’t hear him talking, but he can run, he’s athletic,” Fontenot said. “He made a couple plays (Saturday) that you wouldn’t even realize because his size and his length. He’s just in the passing lane because of his range and the way he can move.”
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich likes the depth at the inside linebacker position.
“Yeah, I’m excited about that entire linebacker group,” Ulbrich said. “I said this, I’m going to keep saying it, that the character of this entire defense, linebacker group included, the DNA is just so unique.”
Ulbrich was the Falcons’ linebacker coach for four-plus seasons before he was promoted to co-defensive coordinator five games into the 2020 season. He sees some intangibles in the group.
“They want to be pushed, coached and challenged,” Ulbrich said. “That’s not a universal theme among all NFL teams. That group, in particular, the linebacker group, is probably one of the most competitive I’ve ever been around.”
The groups have been impressive in the meeting rooms.
“They want all the details,” Ulbrich said. “They want to be pushed. They want to be the guy standing in front of the huddle.”
Deablo has fit in.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
“Divine is absolutely one of those guys,” Ulbrich said. “He is. You (study) a guy in free agency. You ask people about him because we studied the tape. We see the athlete. We see the toughness. We see the instincts. We saw all that. We knew it, and we’re excited about it.”
After rating the football player, the Falcons wanted to know more about Deablo the person and what kind of character he had.
“I’ve been so blown away because when you don’t hear a lot, it’s people either lying to you because they want to keep him,” Ulbrich said. “Or they’re lying to you because they’re trying to get rid of him. When you don’t hear much about a guy, it typically means he’s a little gem that people are trying to hide.”
Deablo, who was a safety at Virginia Tech, started 42 of 55 games over four seasons with the Raiders. He made a career-high 106 tackles in 2023.
With Andersen suffering injuries in each of the past two seasons, Nate Landman filled at inside linebacker. Landman, a solid tackler who was a liability in pass coverage, signed with the Rams in free agency.
“You look at that inside linebacker position, you’ve got Kaden, who we know how versatile Kaden is,” Fontenot said. “You can move him around … and then you’ve got Divine Deablo.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
