For one brief season, the Falcons finally looked like a team that remembered how to hunt quarterbacks.
Atlanta hit a franchise-best 57 sacks in 2025, finishing second in the league and giving its defense the kind of edge it had been missing for years. That turnaround did not happen by accident. The Falcons poured serious draft capital into the front seven, using two first-round picks on pass rushers, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich helped turn that investment into real production.
But the celebration didn’t last long. A year after setting the record, Atlanta has watched almost all of that pass-rush output disappear.
The biggest blow is Jalon Walker, who posted 5.5 sacks a year ago but will miss the entire season with a torn ACL. James Pearce Jr., the team’s sack leader with 10.5, is also out for the first eight games because of a suspension. Atlanta brought in veteran Za’Darius Smith to help patch the hole, but those are the kinds of losses no team can simply replace overnight.
And that’s before you get to the rest of the churn.
Zach Harrison, who surprisingly piled up 4.5 sacks in just seven games, was released on Monday. Kaden Elliss left for the Saints in free agency.
Leonard Floyd wasn’t brought back. Ruke Orhorhoro was traded for Maason Smith.
Kentavius Street is now in Chicago. Arnold Ebiketie signed with the Eagles.
The list keeps going, and the result is a front that looks very different from the one that powered Atlanta’s breakout year.
A few names remain from that group, including Billy Bowman Jr. and Divine Deablo, but neither is expected to be a major sack producer. That’s the reality for the Falcons now: the best parts of last season’s pass rush are gone, injured, suspended, or elsewhere.
There is at least a theory behind the overhaul. The new regime appears to believe the production was driven as much by Ulbrich’s scheme and defensive line coach Nate Ollie’s work as by the personnel itself.
That could turn out to be right. Still, until Pearce returns from suspension, Atlanta’s defensive front may be in for a rough start.
In Other News...
Falcons QB Plan May Already Be Telling Fans Everything About Penix
The Falcons quarterback picture already has a timeline attached to it, and that alone says plenty about where Michael Penix Jr. stands in the teams thinking. According to NFL Networks Cameron Wolfe, Atlanta wants to eventually put Penix back in the lineup to get a real evaluation of him before the 2027 NFL Draft, even if Tua Tagovailoa opens the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For a team still sorting out its long-term answer under center, the plan suggests this fall is as much about information as it is about winning games.
Atlantas caution also fits with the injury side of the equation, since the team is being careful not to rush Penix back from a 2025 ACL injury. That could shape the early-season decision, but it does not settle the bigger question, because the Falcons are still undecided on who should start in 2026. For now, both Penix and Tagovailoa remain in the mix, and the way Atlanta handles the opening weeks may end up revealing how the organization really views its quarterback future. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Practice Squad Move May Be Hinting At Another O-Line Decision
The Falcons added offensive lineman Josh Thompson to the practice squad, a depth move that makes sense with backup guards Kyle Hinton and Kam Dewberry dealing with injuries. Thompson, an undrafted free agent out of LSU, spent the summer with the Chiefs and now fills one of Atlantas remaining practice squad openings.
For a team that has already been shuffling through the bottom of the roster to keep the offensive line intact, this is the kind of move that can signal more than just emergency insurance. It may also hint at a short-term decision coming elsewhere along the front, even if the exact next step remains unclear for now. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Took A Risk Up Front They Could Regret Fast
With injuries and suspensions already thinning out the defensive front, the Falcons had to make a hard call up front this week. General manager Ian Cunningham said waiving Zach Harrison to create room for three waiver claims was not an easy decision, a sign of how tightly Atlanta is managing the roster while trying to patch together the line for the stretch ahead.
Harrison did not stay away for long, returning on the practice squad to give Atlanta some veteran leadership and extra depth behind the active group. For a team already navigating turnover in the trenches, keeping a familiar presence around the building can matter, even if the move also underscores how little margin for error the Falcons have right now. [Read more 🡒]