Cameron Thomas has a lot to prove to Kevin Stefanski in Falcons' season opener

The Atlanta Falcons' room of youthful edge rushers has been through the ringer this offseason, and the Week 1 depth chart points to Kevin Stefanski trusting the guy who's already been in the building over the name-brand value they brought in to save it: Cameron Thomas.

Despite projections that Za'Darius Smith would step directly into a starting role, Atlanta has instead kept Thomas as the starter off the edge opposite Brandon Dorlus entering today's season opener. with Smith working in as part of the rotation. It's a decision that says as much about what Thomas has already shown the coaching staff as it does about where Smith is in his return to playing football.

Jalon Walker tore his ACL, and James Pearce Jr. was hit with an eight-game suspension for a personal conduct policy violation stemming from a February domestic violence arrest. That left Atlanta scrambling for bridging answers before Week 1, and Smith — out of football since stepping away last season to be closer to family during a string of personal losses — was the swing they took.

Cameron Thomas needs to step up for the Falcons' pass-rush in Week 1

Smith has 70.5 career sacks, three double-digit-sack seasons, and deep ties to this coaching staff: he played for Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, was with assistant GM Jeff Scott in Philadelphia, and was originally drafted by a front office that included Ian Cunningham in Baltimore. Cunningham himself pointed to that familiarity as part of the appeal, noting that teams naturally gravitate toward a known quantity when there's a need to fill. But Thomas also spent time playing for Stefanski's Browns.

By camp accounts, Thomas won the job while Smith is still working his way back into football shape. Smith managed just 1.5 sacks across five games last season, split between stops, well down from the nine-sack form he flashed in 2024. Thomas, still just 26 and entering a contract year, has shown enough as a run defender and situational rusher through camp, even with a career pass-rush profile that's more rotational than dominant.

Now that Bralen Trice has been elevated from the practice squad, Atlanta has just five pass rushers set to ritate in against the Pittsburgh Steelers: Smith, Thomas, Trice, Jared Ivey, and Samson Ebukam (plus Dorlus). So since the former third-round pick will start, it's likely Kevin Stefanski will trust him to play the most snaps. After all, it doesn't seem like he has much of a choice.

None of this reads as a permanent statement on Za'Darius Smith. At 34 and just months removed from a potential retirement, he was never going to walk into Atlanta and immediately reclaim the form that made him a two-time Pro Bowler. The Falcons' plan all along was to lean on a rotation to hold the fort until Pearce returns from suspension. Starting Thomas over Smith right now isn't a snub; it's Atlanta rewarding the player who's been productive and available over the one still shaking off the rust. If Smith rounds into form as the season progresses, don't be surprised if the rotation — and the starting reps — shift in his favor.

But for now, this is Cameron Thomas's job to lose, and he has to hold onto it in Pittsburgh

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