The Falcons may have something brewing in the middle of their defense, and it’s coming from two rookies who are getting a chance to grow together.
Harold Perkins Jr. and Kendal Daniels are both working with Atlanta’s second-team defense in training camp, and that setup has given them an early runway to build chemistry while they adjust to life in the NFL. They’re not in front of Divine Deablo and Christian Harris right now, but their partnership is starting to stand out.
In a recent training camp report, Atlantafalcons.com’s Will McFadden pointed to the linebackers as one of the clearer pairings on the roster. He wrote, "At linebacker, two clear duos have emerged.
Divine Deablo and Christian Harris have been running together as first-team linebackers since OTAs, and that's held true so far in camp," McFadden wrote. "Behind them, rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. are building their chemistry in the middle of Atlanta's defense."
Daniels has already had to fight through a setback. He missed all of OTAs and mandatory minicamp because of a calf injury that dated back to his college days, but he has been a full go in camp.
Perkins, meanwhile, slid to the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft after once being viewed as a former top-five talent. Both players arrive with plenty to prove, and both are doing it under Jeff Ulbrich, who likes athletic linebackers.
That shared chip on the shoulder matters here. Atlanta has reason to be optimistic about both Day 3 picks, and the simplest way to help them settle in is by letting them work side by side.
The Falcons have already shown where the first-team linebacker pairing sits. Now the more interesting question is how quickly the rookies behind them can turn shared reps into something bigger.
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