Between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, the Atlanta Falcons have dealt with enough injury woes throughout their opening week of training camp, but injury bug handed the Falcons their most crushing blow yet: second-year edge rusher Jalon Walker, who got hurt during today's practice.
Walker reportedly went down with a left leg injury on a pass-rush during a two-minute situation, and Atlanta quickly knew something was amiss. The entire team was on one knee and the cart came out for him. He wasn't able to put any weight on his left leg, which makes this even more heartbreaking.
We don't want to speculate too much but the cart coming out this time of year is never a good sign. The Falcons ended their practice after he was carted off, but right now, all we can hope is that the worst-case scenario was avoided and we'll still get to see Jalon Walker play at some point in 2026.
Jalon Walker was carted off the field during Atlanta Falcons' practice
Walker was the 15th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and was primed to take a step forward in Year 2. Atlanta was planning to utilize his versatility more in 2026, as in addition to playing him off the edge, he was expected to take on more snaps at inside linebacker--a position he played while at Georgia.
The 22-year-old ranked inside the top 10 among edge rushers as a rookie in run defense grade (per PFF) and he recorded 5.5 sacks. He was growing more accustomed to the transition to playing off the edge in the NFL, and fans were looking forward to a potential breakout season for Walker this season.
The Dirty Birds are already in enough peril at edge rusher. They're facing a potential suspension for fellow pass-rusher James Pearce Jr. after his offseason arrest, and if they're both not out there Week 1, Azeez Ojulari and Samson Ebukam would start off the edge-with Bralen Trice set to play a key role.
The Falcons don't have enough depth at edge rusher for a loss this major. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported they were already kicking the tires on more EDGE help, and this was before the Walker injury--so if he's set to miss any extended time (which seems likely), another move must be made.
All we can do now is wait for more news on the full extent of the injury, but hopefully it isn't the worst-case scenario. Jalon Walker was one of the only players the Atlanta Falcons could not afford to lose, so hopefully the fact that there was no air cast means that he'll be able to play this season.
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