Falcons bring in LB Stephone Anthony to bolster depth

With training camp underway, the Atlanta Falcons are trying to find ways to perfect their roster. That includes new additions, like former first-round linebacker Stephone Anthony, who will step in to compete for a reserve spot with Kemal Ishmael set to get more time at safety.

Anthony, a former Clemson star, started his career with the Saints in 2015 after being taken 26th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Despite his athleticism and a fair amount of hype, he was unable to cement a role there, and wound up being traded to the Dolphins in 2017.

With only 149 career tackles, he’ll be asked to provide depth behind likely starters Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, and Foye Oluokun. This move comes after we saw Kemal Ishmael being moved back to safety, which opened up space in the LB group.

Linebacker depth for the Falcons looks pretty sound right now, with veteran Bruce Carter, 2017 third-round pick Duke Riley, 2017 UDFA favorite Jermaine Grace and Anthony all giving Atlanta guys who have played NFL snaps ready to step up should injury strike, and rookies Yurik Bethune and Tre’ Crawford also competing. There’s probably only 2-3 roster spots available

Anthony also joins his old Clemson teammates Vic Beasley and Grady Jarrett, both taken in the same 2015 draft as the linebacker. He’ll hope to find success alongside them.

It’s a good signing for depth this late in July, so we’ll see how Anthony does. It does give you peace of mind that Atlanta has options for depth here, considering how last season went.