The Atlanta Falcons have spent the week taking hits on defense, but they’re also getting a badly needed lift.
Jalon Walker was carted off during Tuesday’s practice and later suffered a season-ending ACL tear, while Jessie Bates has been out for most of the last week. That left Jeff Ulbrich’s unit looking stretched thin at a time when it could least afford it. But now Atlanta is set to get back a key piece it hasn’t seen on the field all summer: defensive tackle Zach Harrison.
According to beat reporter Will McFadden, the Falcons are reportedly activating Harrison after he missed the first eight practices of camp. He was spotted for the first time this summer during Atlanta’s “Saturday Night Lights” practice in Sugar Hill last night.
Harrison had opened training camp on the active/NFI list while rehabbing a season-ending knee injury that cost him the final 10 games of 2025. Before that setback, though, he had been building real momentum. In the seven games he played, he put up 4.5 sacks and emerged as one of Atlanta’s best defensive linemen.
That return matters for a defense that needs help on the inside. The Falcons’ defensive tackle group was already one of the shakier spots on the roster, and Harrison’s activation gives that room a much-needed boost. It also comes with the added possibility of more growth from the 24-year-old as he heads into a contract year.
Looking ahead, Harrison is expected to line up as one of Atlanta’s starting defensive tackles alongside Brandon Dorlus in 2026, with Da'Shawn Hand, Maason Smith, La'Cale London, and others rotating in behind them. Even after losing David Onyemata and Ruke Orhororo, the reworked tackle group should be better against the run.
There’s also a schematic bonus here for Ulbrich and defensive line coach Nate Ollie. With Walker out and the Falcons no longer quite as thin at defensive tackle, they have more room to get creative with how they deploy the line. Dorlus has already been seeing work with the edge rushers, and Harrison’s return opens the door for even more flexibility.
That fits Harrison’s background, too. Like Dorlus, the 2023 third-round pick played off the edge in college.
Over his final two seasons at Ohio State, he totaled 16 TFLs and 7.5 sacks. Atlanta moved him inside because of his 6-foot-5, 270-pound frame, but that same size also makes him a natural candidate to kick back outside.
For a defense dealing with major losses, Harrison’s activation is the kind of break Atlanta needed.
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