The Atlanta Falcons are heading into training camp with one of the clearest roster decisions they’ll face all summer: whether to keep waiting on DeAngelo Malone or finally move on.
That’s a tough call in the NFL, where teams love to convince themselves a former high pick still has something left to unlock. But Malone has been around long enough to make the answer feel pretty obvious. Atlanta has tried, and tried again, and the production still hasn’t followed.
Malone arrived as the 2022 third-round pick the Falcons got from the Indianapolis Colts in the Matt Ryan trade, which only raised the pressure on him from day one. He was viewed as one of the better edge prospects in that draft, but the results in Atlanta have never matched the expectation.
In 58 career games, Malone has not made a single start. He has three sacks and 60 tackles, and after missing most of last season because of an injury, he enters camp on the roster bubble. The 27-year-old re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year deal earlier this offseason, giving him one last chance to convince the new regime he belongs.
Even so, the path to meaningful playing time looks narrow. James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker are the faces of the team’s revamped defensive line, and better depth at the position could leave Malone with only a special teams role. Atlanta also has younger pass-rushers such as Harold Perkins Jr. and Cameron Thomas who could take on the job he’s been trying to hold down.
The bigger point is simple: this is not a player the current regime drafted, and there’s no obligation to keep forcing it. If Malone doesn’t show something in camp, the Falcons will have every reason to cut bait when roster decisions arrive at the end of training camp.
In Other News...
Falcons Fans Just Got An Encouraging Billy Bowman Jr. Sign
Billy Bowman Jr. gave Falcons fans a small but welcome update on his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, and it came at a time when every bit of progress matters. The second-year cornerback is about eight months into the rehab process, which still fits within the usual window for a return from a major injury like this, and Atlanta has every reason to keep the focus on the long view rather than rushing him back.
Bowmans recovery now has the next big checkpoints in sight, with training camp looming as the clearest test of where he stands. The Falcons can afford to be patient with him, but any sign that he is moving closer to football activity is worth noting, especially for a player whose availability could become a real factor once the season gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Arthur Blank Just Entered His Biggest Falcons Summer Yet
Arthur Blank spent the first stretch of the 2025 offseason doing what he almost never does: tearing down the structure he had in place and starting over. Shortly after the season ended, the Falcons owner moved on from Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot, then kept going with a front office shakeup that signaled he was no longer interested in small fixes after an extended playoff drought.
Blank also handed Matt Ryan a new president of football role, adding a familiar face to help guide the next era, and the message was clear that this reboot was about more than just names on a chart. For Blank, the pressure is now baked into every step of the process, because the new regime has to prove his drastic decisions were the right ones and finally push Atlanta toward the kind of stability and performance it has been chasing for years. [Read more 🡒]