The National Football League (NFL) free agency period is very busy and the Atlanta Falcons are one of the teams that accomplished a roster move after agreeing to a deal with linebacker Courtney Upshaw. 

No information regarding the deal was released by the Falcons, but according to ESPN and Spotrac, Upshaw's new contract is just for a year.

Upshaw, the second-round pick (35th overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 NFL Draft, became an unrestricted free agent following the 2015 season. This off-season marked the end of his relationship with the Ravens, a team he won a championship with at Super Bowl XLVII (a game where he started) in the 2012 season. 

Playing for Baltimore for four seasons, Upshaw did not miss a regular season game, and in the 2013 season, he became a regular starter for the team. In a total of 64 regular season games in which he saw action, he had 183 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and seven pass deflections. 

In the 26-year-old's stay with the Ravens, the team reached the postseason only twice. Last season, they failed to make it to the playoffs after ending the regular season third in the American Football Conference (AFC) North with a 5-11 record. 

The Falcons are getting a veteran defensive piece who already has championship experience by signing Upshaw. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star's durability, not sitting out a game in his NFL career, is a huge plus for Atlanta. However, it is undetermined if he will be getting the starting job with his new squad. 

The Falcons are expected to make a few more roster moves this free agency period and in the upcoming NFL Draft, trying to address the issues that plagued them in the past few seasons. Atlanta's campaign last season was the third consecutive year it failed to make it to the playoffs.