When the Atlanta Falcons' defense takes the field Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rookie linebacker JD Bertrand is expected to be in the middle of it.
Bertrand, drafted in the fifth round out of Notre Dame this April, is next-in-line for Atlanta at linebacker after Troy Andersen was ruled out Wednesday with a knee injury. Andersen started the past three games in place of Nate Landman, who's on injured reserve with quad and calf ailments.
The 24-year-old Bertrand played eight defensive snaps Sunday after seeing just one -- the first of his NFL career -- the week prior. Bertrand has recorded two tackles thus far, both on special teams, where he's played 85% of Atlanta's snaps.
Now, Bertrand is in the spotlight, seeing his first taste of extensive action on Thursday Night Football -- and he feels prepared.
"Any opportunity, I'm going to continue to be ready and I think that's been my job up to this point as a backup," Bertrand said. "If the opportunity appears Thursday, then I'll be sure I'm ready."
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who's often referred to Bertrand by his "Captain America" nickname, echoed similar sentiments surrounding his belief in Bertrand's readiness.
"I told you I was really confident in JD a long time ago," Morris said. "It's his opportunity to go out there and get ready to go play, and play alongside Kaden [Elliss], and I feel really good about what he's done. I feel really good about his progress. I feel really good about what he did in the preseason.
"Then we had a chance to get him out there and go with some of our guys, get ramped up in special teams, the proving ground for us, and now we get a chance to get him out there, get some live bullets, man. I'm fired up to see him."
Confidence in Bertrand stems from the way he's played since the Falcons started rookie minicamp May 10. Be it OTAs, training camp or the preseason, Bertrand continually turned heads.
But he also proved Atlanta's coaching staff correct in its pre-draft evaluation of his skill set, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said.
"He sees it really, really well -- it's the reason why we drafted him," Lake said. "We can see and feel his football instincts. Once he arrived here, all of those traits showed up in practice. He got a few reps this last Sunday, played really well."
Bertrand, who stands 6-foot-1, 233 pounds, has spent much of the early part of the season preparing for his special teams snaps. This week, ahead of his expected starting opportunity, he's shifted the balance to be more defense-heavy.
That process includes understanding the game plan as its installed, watching previous games and matching defensive calls to different plays their opponents have run this year.
Once Bertrand feels comfortable and confident pairing any call to any offensive play shown on film, he feels ready -- but the chance he received to get his feet wet Sunday against the New Orleans Saints gave him another sense of belief.
"I think last game, it's just continuing each time you play, you gain a little bit more confidence and a little bit more [of] knowing you can do it," Bertrand said. "So, that's what I gained from last week."
Bertrand also banked more reps with Elliss, who's played every defensive snap this season for the Falcons. Bertrand noted he has a strong off-field relationship with Elliss which leads to strong communication on it.
At middle linebacker, communication is critical. It's particularly important Thursday, as Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen's history with Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay spearheads an offense with shifts, motions and a chance to stress defensive communication.
But the Falcons believe Bertrand is more than capable of rising to the occasion, even on a short week.
"He's such an adult and a mature young man," Morris said. "He takes care of himself. He's one of the guys you would say, if it was a rookie, you'd worry about him in a short week, but he's just not like that. He takes care of his body. He's always conscientious of what he needs to do.
"He's always conscientious in his book and his study habits, the things that he does with his position coach, the things that he does with his coordinator. He's been in the mix so much."
From his habits and offseason performance to the film the Falcons watched when they drafted him, Bertrand has given Atlanta many reasons to believe. It doesn't mean there's nothing to fear, but rather the Falcons are confident in who Bertrand has proven to be.
"I'm not saying I don't have any concerns with him, but I got very few or very limited that don't really come to mind," Morris said.
Bertrand prepared like a starter even during his time as Atlanta's fourth-string linebacker, Morris said. He took plenty of reps with the first-team defense during camp, giving Morris a baseline to predict a strong outing from Bertrand on Thursday night.
"I got a feeling he's going to go out there and play really well," Morris said.
Lake agreed.
"Us as coaches, we're expecting no drop-off," Lake said. "We have a lot of confidence in JD."
Now, Bertrand gets the opportunity to prove the Falcons right -- in front of a national audience under the primetime lights. Toss in the allure of the Alpharetta, Ga., native making his first start in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Bertrand is under immense pressure.
But rather than feeling stressed, Bertrand has a different emotion -- one that properly represents the Falcons' internal feelings ahead of the first start any of their rookies have made this season.
"It's definitely exciting," Bertrand said. "I think probably leave it at that -- it's just an exciting time and I'm excited for whatever opportunity I do get going forward."
