Azeez Ojulari’s Atlanta return is looking more and more like a miss for the Falcons.
The Falcons brought in the Georgia native on a one-year, $1.4 million deal during free agency, a low-cost swing on a player who has flashed when healthy but has also spent too much time fighting to stay on the field. Atlanta was clearly betting on a scenery change helping unlock him. So far, that bet is not paying off.
The situation has only grown more awkward for a defense that already needs help off the edge. Nate Ollie’s defensive line has lost Jalon Walker for the season and James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games, which has made the Falcons desperate for contributors.
Over the last couple of weeks, they’ve needed somebody - anybody - to seize the moment. Ojulari hasn’t done it.
That was on display in Atlanta’s second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, a 34-6 win in which only the backups played. Ojulari stayed on the field throughout the game, a sign that the coaching staff clearly wanted to see more from him. Instead, he disappeared again, finishing without a tackle against a group of second-, third- and fourth-stringers.
For a player expected to fill the Arnold Ebiketie role as a rotational pass-rusher, that kind of outing is hard to ignore. Even with a larger opportunity in this defense, Ojulari still hasn’t found a way to stand out.
And this time, health isn’t the excuse. He’s been healthy all summer and has had every chance to make an impression. He simply hasn’t.
Ojulari is not on the roster bubble yet, but the path ahead is getting crowded fast. Cameron Thomas, Za’Darius Smith and Pearce, once he returns, are all ahead of him on the depth chart. Bralen Trice and Cameron Sample have been more productive, and even Keshawn Banks has looked like a better pass-rusher.
That’s what makes this feel less like a patient gamble and more like a move that’s already gone sideways. Ian Cunningham has made good decisions in his first offseason as the Falcons’ GM, but signing Ojulari is not looking like one of them. At this point, his time in Atlanta could be running short.
In Other News...
Falcons May Have Found More Than A Camp Arm In Jack Strand
Jack Strands path to Atlanta has already been a little different from the usual camp-arm story. He stayed put at Minnesota State University Moorhead even when bigger programs came calling, and the decision paid off with a strong college run that included honorable mention All-American recognition and a 2025 season in which he threw for more than 3,500 yards and 42 touchdowns. After going undrafted, he landed with the Falcons as a free agent and has given the staff a chance to take a closer look.
What makes Strand worth tracking now is that he has not looked out of place when the opportunity arrived. His recent showing against the Indianapolis Colts turned some heads and added to the sense that Atlanta may have brought in more than just a body for training camp. For a team always sorting through the back end of its quarterback room, Strands background and early flashes make him a name worth watching as the summer unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Have An Undrafted QB Story Fans Did Not See Coming
Jack Strand arrived in Atlanta with the kind of resume that usually makes a rookie quarterback an afterthought, an undrafted free agent from Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead trying to find his footing in a crowded NFL quarterback room. Instead, he has become one of the more interesting names in the Falcons preseason work, turning in a strong showing against the Colts and keeping himself in the conversation for a roster spot.
For a team sorting out its depth chart, Strands path has made him worth watching. He was a three-time Harlon Hill Trophy nominee in college and finished 10th all-time in Division II career passing yards, credentials that helped him stand out long before he got to Atlanta. Now the question is whether that production and his early preseason momentum can carry him into the kind of third-string role that would keep his unlikely rise going. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons CB3 Battle Is Suddenly Leaning Toward An Unexpected Veteran
Training camp has given the Falcons an early surprise in the nickel cornerback race, where Darnay Holmes has emerged as the current frontrunner for the CB3 job. He has been working with the first-team defense and taking advantage of a situation shaped in part by injuries to Avieon Terrell and Billy Bowman Jr., which has opened the door for him to get a longer look.
Holmes chance, though, comes with a familiar camp caveat. The Falcons still have bodies to work back into the mix, and once that happens, the competition at nickel could look very different than it does right now. For a player trying to secure a role, the key question is how much of this first-team run can be turned into something lasting. [Read more 🡒]