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The Atlanta Falcons added some help to their defense over the weekend and signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson on Sunday, August 7.
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Anderson Joined the NFL in 2018
After four impressive seasons at Bucknell University, Anderson ended up going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, despite being invited to private workouts with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks a few weeks prior.
He went on to sign with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent. Anderson didn’t make the active roster as a rookie, nor did he play a single snap. However, he remained in Chicago the following season after signing a future/reserve contract.
That year, Anderson landed on the Bears’ finals roster and made his first NFL debut in the season opener against the Packers. He was demoted to the team’s practice squad the following week and was elevated back and forth throughout the year. Anderson finished the 2019 season recording his first NFL sack in addition to 4 total tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 3 pressures.
Chicago released him at the start of the 2020 season and he was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings where he spent most of his time on the team’s practice squad, except for the one game he was elevated for.
More recently, the 26-year-old split the 2021 season with stops at the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Tennessee Titans, plus a second stop in Green Bay.
In four NFL seasons thus far, Anderson has played in 10 games where he has logged six tackles and a sack.
Anderson Replaces Vincent Taylor
Anderson comes to Atlanta just after the Falcons lost veteran defensive tackle, Vincent Taylor, to a season-ending Achilles injury.
Taylor, 28, initially joined the NFL in 2017 as a sixth-round (194th overall) pick by the Miami Dolphins.
The Oklahoma State product played 13 games during his rookie year before he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, which cut ended his season early. His second year in the league was also derailed by an injury. Taylor played in eight games in 2018 before suffering a foot injury and landing on the injured reserve again.
It was a “surprise” when the Dolphins released him ahead of the 2019 season because, despite Taylor’s injury setbacks, he remained a valuable asset to Miami’s defense. He logged 28 defensive stops and missed only 1 tackle during his first two seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins. Through 21 games, Taylor made 45 tackles, had three QB hits and made four tackles for a loss and two sacks.
Taylor was soon signed off the waivers to the Buffalo Bills practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster late in the season and waived as a part of the 2020 season roster cuts. After being waived by Buffalo, Taylor was claimed once again off the waivers by Cleveland and appeared in 15 games for the Browns, recording 12 tackles and a fumble recovery.
His most recent stint was in Houston last season, but that was also cut short after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1.
Since joining the league in 2017, Taylor has appeared in 40 NFL games, logging 65 tackles (42 solo), two sacks and four QB hits.
While Taylor’s injury is absolutely devastating, it now opens another door for Anderson to prove himself.
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