After Divine Deablo went down in the Atlanta Falcons' Week 7 loss to the 49ers, it made an ugly night even worse. The Dirty Birds' most important defender suffered a forearm fracture and will be sidelined for the next few weeks—and it's putting the pressure on defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
The NFL's No. 2 ranked pass defense just lost arguably their most irreplaceable player, and starting JD Bertand in his place won't cut it. This could lead to Terry Fontenot monitoring the trade market before the deadline in hopes of finding someone to play the same role Deablo does for Ulbrich's unit.
That introduces the perfect candidate: Titans linebacker Kyzir White. White has spent the majority of the season on Tennessee's practice squad, so it would not require a trade to bring the veteran to Atlanta—and that's a difficult opportunity to pass up with the trade deadline looming.
Terry Fontenot might have just found the perfect Divine Deablo replacement
The 29-year-old White amassed 137 total tackles and 60 solo tackles with the Cardinals in 2024, while recording career-highs in sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (9). Yet inexplicably, he remained unsigned until landing in Nashville back in September.
The 2018 fourth-round pick of the Chargers has surpassed 100 total tackles in three of the last four seasons, and remains one of the best sideline-to-sideline threats. But after following Jonathan Gannon to Arizona, White emerged into one of the best linebackers in the NFL in pass coverage.
The Dirty Birds have been linked to other options, such as New York's Quincy Williams, Miami's Jordyn Brooks, and Las Vegas' Jamal Adams—who has enjoyed a shocking bounce-back season. The options are limitless, but it's White who makes more sense.
Williams would require a lucrative long-term deal to remain in Atlanta and Pete Carroll would not want to trade Adams, so White could be the most attainable option. The West Virginia product won' t turn 30 until March, so he could even serve a purpose once the LB core returns to full strength.
Luckily for the Falcons, they should get Troy Andersen back from IR at least sometime soon, which could help fill the void for one of the NFL's best pass defenses while Deablo is sidelined.
Terry Fontenot has an opportunity to address a glaring need without parting with any draft capital, and that's invaluable in the modern NFL—and White would be a perfect fit for Ulbrich's defensive scheme that rewards versatility.