The Atlanta Falcons further added to their defensive line room with the signing of Samson Ebukam yesterday, which came roughly 24 hours after the Falcons signed Azeez Ojulari. Not only is this telling about how things are with James Pearce Jr.'s legal situation, they want to add depth to the pass rush.
Ebukam's decison to sign with the Falcons reunites him with defensive line coach Nate Ollie, who coached him with the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, but it also gives him a chance to bounce back from a disappointing year in which the 31-year-old made just one start in his first back from an Achilles tear.
While Falcons fans are loving the move for an experienced edge, not everyone is on board, including Colts expert Lee Vowell of Horseshoe Heroes. Vowell thinks that while Ebukam has been productive in the past, he won't thrive in the role of a weekly contributor that the Dirty Birds are relying on him for.
"When healthy, Samson Ebukam is capable of being a decent pass rusher, though an extremely inconsistent one. Counting on him to be a week-in, week-out producer is a mistake. In fact, in 2025, when he was a poor fit in new Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's system, he had no more than one pressure a game from Week 6 on, and zero sacks. He isn't good against the run, so if he isn't chasing down quarterbacks, his value is little. Still, maybe with the right coaching direction, he can get closer to the 9.5 sacks he had in 2023 than the two he had this past season."Lee Vowell
Samson Ebukham's lack of consistency could be an issue for the Falcons
Vowell said that from Week 6 on, Ebukam had no sacks and had no more than one pressure a game, which is brutal. That's some pretty dismal production, but you have to give the guy some grace after missing all of 2024, so not only did he have to adjust to Lou Anarumo's scheme, he had to get healthy.
Now that he's even further removed from his Achilles surgery, the former Rams' and 49ers edge rusher could easily return to his pre-injury form. The only issue that Vowell mentioned that Ebukam is bad against the run, and the Falcons were one of the worst teams in the NFL in run defense in 2025.
Vowell's words did come with a silver lining, as he revealed that he believes that a scenery change and some better coaching direction, he could return to his old self. And what better coach is there for him to work with than reuniting with the man who helped coach him to a 9.5-sack season in 2023?
Ebukam may not come with the upside that Ojulari does, but as far as proven, battle-tested veterans go, I would rather have him than Leonard Floyd back. At the very worst, he'll be decent, so hopefully he's able to use the offseason to get in even better shape and make Vowell eat his words in 2026.