In the departure of Kaden Elliss, Deablo grabs hold of the green dot.

Tori McElhaney

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. Divine Deablo's natural state of being is quiet. He's not the most demonstrative, nor is he going to be the first to speak in a silent room. That's never really been his calling card.

This offseason, though, Deablo has been challenged to find his voice more than ever before. That's because his role is expanding. With the departure of Kaden Elliss in free agency earlier this spring, it's Deablo who will have the green dot in 2026.

"We have challenged him in that regard," Falcons outside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud said, "but he's up for that challenge."

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich: "I think he is ready for that."

Even in 2025, Deablo could feel this could be the next step of his NFL journey. Everyone knew Elliss was on the final year of his contract with Atlanta. Despite there being a lot of support for Elliss to remain with the organization, in this business (because it is a business) there was no guarantee that he'd be back. And when the New Orleans Saints came knocking with a big-time contract, reuniting Elliss with the organziation that gave him his start in the league, he couldn't say no.

This left an obvious hole in the middle of Atlanta's defense.

But even before Elliss left, Deablo had an inkling that he needed to pay attention to how Elliss ran the show.

"I watched him last year know everybody's position," Deablo said. "He put everybody in position, but he was so calm with it, and I just took a lot of notes from him, just in case."

That "just in case" is paying off this year, though, as Deablo takes on the communication responsibility for the defensive unit. It's something he's never done before, but he's throwing himself head first into the expansion. He's studying more, taking more time to really feel confident about what he is asking others to do around him.

"I want to be able to be the field general, the quarterback of the defense," Deablo said. "I study extra to make sure they know I know what I am talking about. I don't hesitate with the calls, none of that. I gotta be fast. I gotta be on it. That's my goal."

He's also taking it upon himself to step out of his quiet comfort zone. He's talking more, both on and off the field.

"Naturally, I'm a quiet guy," Deablo explained. "I've been trying to have casual conversations with everybody. I just been trying to chat it up to show that I am comfortable talking to everybody. On the field, just yelling, being loud, I want everyone even the coaches to hear me and know I am confident."

Coaches have noticed those subtle changes. Because of Deablo's preparation and increased communication, he has become even more central to the defense. And he was already an important piece.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Deablo is someone he has been "very impressed with" as he gets to know the roster he now leads.

"He is wired the right way. Very, very intelligent. I don't think you can overstate how important it is to have that intelligence right in the middle of your defense, right in the nerve center," Stefanski said. "To have somebody like Divine who can run sideline to sideline, can tackle, can affect the pass game, can align your defense it's a calming influence on your defense, and your head coach, when you have a guy in the middle of the defense where everybody understands their role and what their responsibilities are because he is clear in how to deploy the defense."

Ulbrich has long described Deablo as a rare combination of size, speed and length often referring to him as an "avatar." But Ulbrich said the calmness Stefanski referenced is just as unique.

"I have been around guys who are really demonstrative leaders that can have that effect, where their voice just calms you down because they are so demonstrative and certain in everything they do and is so even keeled just in everything they do," Ulbrich said. "They're that rock that you can lean on, but (Deablo) does that in a way I have never seen before. He is so unique in his calmness and demeanor and his consistency in all that he does. I'm excited for him to get the green dot. I think it is going to be an opportunity to really push him in the direction that he is headed. I think he has the capacity to be an amazing leader."

The team held Deablo out of team drills for the second OTA session last week. He was still on the sideline with other players, but for 11-on-11 work, the Falcons were deploying some other guys to get a good look at them. This week, Deablo was back with the would-be first-team defense.

Everyone noticed.

"When he is out there," Ulbrich said, "we feel different."

For the Falcons in 2026, that difference is exactly why Deablo's rise into the green-dot role feels not only on track, but an inevitable next chapter in his story.

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