Former Notre Dame football star JD Bertrand had some analysts believing he was “buried” before training camp even started. Others thought that he’d have a real battle on his hands in order to stay on the Atlanta Falcons’ 2026 roster. At least for now, the linebacker won that battle as he was named one of the final 53 on the NFL’s final cut-down day.
Bertrand was one of the more popular defenders last year after he was selected late in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was the No. 3 linebacker when he finally got the call to make a start due to injuries. He racked up five tackles in that first career NFL start, and he helped his team beat Tampa Bay 36-30. However, he’d fallen out of favor with Atlanta fans and media over the last year.
Now that he’s officially made the team, the former Notre Dame captain will need to win back the confidence of the fans. While he had decent statistics, tallying 35 tackles and 2 pass breakups as a reserve, Pro Football Focus didn’t grade him out very well in either year he’s been in the league.
On SI summed up why Bertrand was considered a long shot to come back to the Falcons in 2026 quite nicely when Scott Kennedy wrote about a Week 8 start the linebacker made in a blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins:
JD Bertrand led Notre Dame football in tackles during both of his captain seasons
“One of a coach's jobs is to get his best players on the field as much as possible and put them in a position to succeed. Bertrand played more snaps in the Dolphins' loss than any player on either team. He played 68 snaps on defense and another 12 on special teams.”
“PFF gave him a 28.8 grade for the game.”
Bertrand started to see his snaps cut in half after that performance; within three weeks, he’d lost his position on the depth chart. Over the final 6 games of the regular season, Bertrand recorded just 5 tackles, and most of those were on special teams.
All of this is quite the switcheroo from when he was prowling the field for Notre Dame. Bertrand was, first and foremost, one of 29 players who have been captains for two straight years. In 2022, he posted a team-leading 82 tackles, 45 solo tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. Bertrand added 3 pass breakups and 3 quarterback hurries. He was named the Fighting Irish defensive player of the year.
He followed that up in 2023 by again leading the team with 76 total tackles, 41 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 pass breakups, and 7 quarterback hurries. He also had one forced fumble.
Bertrand has got the talent to be a solid if unspectacular linebacker in the NFL. Now the former Notre Dame star needs to prove it to doubters in Atlanta.
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