Ex-Notre Dame football star defender impresses in first NFL start

While the Notre Dame football team is off this weekend, that simply means that fans of the Blue and Gold can spend more time watching former Golden Domers excel in the NFL. Perfect timing for rookie linebacker JD Bertrand who got his first start on Thursday night for the Atlanta Falcons.

Bertrand has seen little action already this year, but he’s mostly contributed on special teams. However, he got the nod as the starting linebacker thanks to a confluence of events that saw several Falcons miss time due to injury.

Bertrand got the start against the Tampa Bay Bucs in place of Troy Andersen, who is out after suffering a knee injury. Andersen had been starting for Nate Landman, who currently is on injured reserve with leg injuries. So the former Notre Dame football captain stepped into the breach after being a fifth-round selection for the Falcons in the 2024 NFL draft and the 143rd pick overall. In four games this season, he has registered two tackles.

In his first start, Bertrand showed that he’s got the talent to play in the NFL. Even if his first start wasn’t perfect.

Ex-Notre Dame football star JD Bertrand impresses in first start

On the night, Bertrand’s performance wasn’t stellar. He had five tackles but no other stats. However, that was good enough for a Falcons team that managed to hold off the Bucs for a 36-30 win that moved Atlanta to 3-2 on the season.

Not everything went well, however. According to PFF, Bertrand graded out poorly. Most likely because he did little else but rack up tackles. He was also especially bad in pass coverage, though there wasn’t much damage done.

The former Notre Dame football captain was credited with allowing 7 receptions for 48 yards. The good news there is that while he had some problems covering tight ends and running backs, his team was still able to get the win.