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 Ruud’s 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.

So, now what? How do the Falcons replace a player who, as Ulbrich said, spent time as an inside linebacker, outside linebacker, defensive end and nickel corner?

“You don’t just plug and replace Kaden because he did so many things for us,” Ruud said. “It’s going to be more than one guy replacing that body. You just find what guys’ skill set is made for, and you try to put them in position to be successful.

“Not everybody can jump on the ball and play like Kaden did and then jump off the ball and play like Kaden did. So, you might have to use a couple guys to fill that same role.”

The Falcons signed Christian Harris, a third-round pick in 2022 who spent the last four years with the Texans, in free agency. The team also drafted a pair of linebackers in fourth-round pick Kendal Daniels and sixth-rounder Harold Perkins Jr., adding different styles to the middle of the defense.

Elliss remained an oft-discussed figure, at least publicly, during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. But the Falcons are forced to move on — and Ruud feels the team pieced together a solid room.

“I think we drafted some very good players, brought some new guys in free agency,” Ruud said. “So, I’ve really enjoyed them so far.”

Here’s a deeper look at the Falcons’ inside linebackers before players arrive for training camp Tuesday.

Depth chart

Starters: Divine Deablo, Christian Harris

Backups: Channing Tindall, Kendal Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr.

Notable departures

• Kaden Elliss (free agent, signed with Saints)
• Ronnie Harrison (free agent, signed with Dolphins)
• Josh Woods (free agent, still unsigned)

Biggest questions

1. How do the Falcons blend several skill sets into a collective replacement for Elliss?

Intentionally. The Falcons have several players who can fill individual aspects of Elliss’ role, but putting the various skill sets together and in the right places each snap will ultimately dictate the success of their plan.

Harris hasn’t played much on the line of scrimmage, but he’s an athletic, sideline-to-sideline linebacker who can fill any off-ball responsibilities. Perkins was a decorated blitzer and edge presence at LSU. Daniels played safety his first three years of college and is comfortable in a nickel or overhang alignment.

The Falcons put Harris next to Deablo for much of OTAs, but Ruud said the team wanted to experiment with different looks and get a better glimpse of each player’s strong suits.

Harris figures to start, but there’s a chance the Falcons constantly rotate bodies alongside Deablo depending on down and distance, personnel packages or Ulbrich’s play call.

2. The Deablo effect looked real last year. Will it translate?

The Falcons didn’t win a game last season without Deablo. They were 3-2 entering a Sunday night game against the 49ers when Deablo suffered a broken forearm after only nine snaps. The Falcons lost that game, and their defensive efficiency diminished.

When Deablo returned in Week 12, they were 3-7. After his return, the Falcons were 5-2, including winning their final four games.

Now entering the second season of a two-year, $14 million contract, Deablo is healthy and has more on his plate. He’ll wear the green dot this fall, communicating the play call from Ulbrich to his teammates while taking the reins on setting and shifting the defensive line.

The Falcons challenged Deablo this summer to become more of a vocal leader, and he embraced it. He watched keenly last year as Elliss led the Falcons’ defense — preparing, just in case, he’d eventually be in that position.

Now, he is — and the Falcons expect him to capitalize.

3. How much do the rookies play, and how early do they see the field?

Daniels said he didn’t participate in OTAs and mandatory minicamp because of a lingering calf injury from his senior season at Oklahoma. He expects to be a full go for training camp, which will provide a clearer picture of how the Falcons plan touse him and where he stacks up on the depth chart.

But the team is high on Daniels, and Ulbrich said Deablo, another former college safety who transitioned to linebacker, will be a good mentor. If nothing else, Daniels projects as a special teams player in Year 1. Can he be more? Training camp should provide a good indication.

Perkins, meanwhile, worked as a second-team weak side linebacker and sneaked in a first-team rep in a 7-on-7 period. Ruud said Perkins has a “natural feel” for rushing the passer, which the Falcons might capitalize on this fall, but he also should be a factor on special teams.