FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Inside linebacker Nate Landman has been designated to return from injured reserve, the Atlanta Falcons announced Monday.
This move comes as the Falcons begin preparations for their Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
Landman was placed on injured reserve Sept. 16 due to quad and calf injuries. The quad injury had been an issue since mid-August. The calf injury came to light in the team's Week 2 injury reports, and Landman was ruled out prior to the Falcons' win against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now that Landman's 21-day practice window is open, he must either be activated to the 53-man roster by the end of the three-week period or he will be placed on season-ending injury reserve. Landman could also be released before the deadline.
Despite the lingering quad injury, Landman played in the Falcons' Week 1 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He took 54% of the defensive snaps, totaling seven tackles.
Landman joined the Falcons in 2022 as an undrafted free agent and truly made his name known in 2023 when he was tasked with filling in for Troy Andersen, who went on injured reserve himself in Week 4. In 14 starts and 16 appearances overall last season, Landman recorded 110 tackles, seven for a loss and two sacks. He also had an interception, three pass breakups and three forced fumble.
Landman's return would help bring back some much-needed depth to the Falcons' inside linebacker room. Not only has he been injured, but Andersen was ruled out of last Thursday's Week 5 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a knee injury. That has left rookie JD Bertrand to step up, going from solely special teams work to more defensive time in the last three games. Last Thursday, he took 72% of the defensive snaps compared to just 25% of the special teams snaps.
In addition to the Landman news, the Falcons announced Monday that tight end Armani Rogers was signed to the practice squad.
Immerse yourself in the subtle drama of the Falcons-Buccaneers meetup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with our monochrome snapshots from Week 5, shot on Sony.