The Falcons don’t have many position battles heading into training camp, but nearly every single one of them lies on the defensive side of the ball.

At cornerback, the Falcons will hope that two of Clark Phillips, Mike Hughes , and Dee Alford will separate themselves. The defensive front has more bodies and fewer starting positions, but perhaps the most competitive position battle will be at linebacker.

Kaden Elliss is expected to occupy one of the starting spots, while Troy Anderson and Nate Landman compete for the other. The veteran Elliss spoke at Falcons training camp about the potential rotation, and he’s as in the dark as we are.

Kaden Elliss said he doesn’t have a feeling yet for how the rotation looks at LB next to him with Troy Andersen and Nate Landman.

“They’ll get whoever looks the best on the field,” Elliss said.

— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) July 24, 2024

Andersen was taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft and was expected to eventually take over in 2023 with Kaden Elliss, who signed a free agent contract before that season.

An injury thrust Landman into a starting role, and the undrafted free agent made the most of his opportunity. Landman ended up starting 14 games, totaling 110 tackles, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two sacks.

Though Landman leaves some to be desired in coverage, he’s done enough to force Jimmy Lake and Raheem Morris to give him a chance to compete with Andersen for the starting gig next to Elliss.

A name that also shouldn’t be forgotten is rookie JD Bertrand out of Notre Dame. He’s certainly a dark horse in this race, but he’s in it nonetheless. Anderson’s athleticism probably gives him the edge, but the position is all about instincts, so this is a camp battle to pay attention to.