When training camp first started, the Atlanta Falcons were forced to ignite a rght tackle competition against their will. Jawaan Taylor started the summer on the active/PUP list due to a lingering elbow injury, so Michael Jerrell and seventh-round rookie tackle Ethan Onianwa stepped up in his absence.
At the start of camp, Jerrell was getting more first-team reps at right tackle, but Onianwa has gotten more work with the starters in recent days. The coaching staff has started to invest more and more trust in him to the point that he's starting to look like a lot more than just a high-upside Day 3 pick.
You'd think that now that the Falcons activated Taylor off the active/PUP list that this fever dream would be over, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Taylor was able to return to the field, but he didn't do any team work--and The Athletic's Josh Kendall reported Onianwa got his first-team snaps.
Ethan Onianwa is rapidly climbing his way up the Falcons' depth chart
Okay, that's one day. This means nothing. But Tuesday's practice told the same story. 92.9 The Game's Joe Patrick reported that the 22-year-old got more first-team reps, as it seems like he's officially overtaken Jerrell (and Brandon Walton) to be the backup right tackle once the season starts.
More first team RT reps for rookie 7th round pick Ethan Onianwa early in practice today.
— Joe Patrick (@JoePatrick) August 11, 2026
Yes, these are first-team reps while the Dirty Birds are without Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris, but this still matters. The 6-foot-6, 333-pound tackle is the perfect development piece for Bill Callahan, who is hoping to make this team more physical in the trenches-- and bigger linemen make that easier.
Here's the other thing we have to remember: the Falcons' right tackle spot is probably the most important right tackle in the NFL since both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa are left-handed. So instead of the left tackle protecting their blind side like most other signal-callers, it's the right tackle.
The Falcons likely felt comfortable releasing 2025 seventh-round pick Jack Nelson because of the Ohio State product's emergence--as he also has the versatility to line up in several other spots on the offensive line. But the fact they trust him enough to protect their QB's blind side speaks volumes.
Between his size and college experience, Callahan clearly sees Onianwa as a moldable piece of clay for the legendary OL coach to work with. Atlanta drafted him with their final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft to swing for the fences, but right now he's looking more like a solid base-hit than a home-run.
Seventh-round picks often don't become much in the NFL and are most of the time drafted to be long-term developmental pieces, but with Jawaan Taylor still out, Ethan Onianwa is proving that he can be much more than a dart throw on the offensive line for the Falcons: he's become a steal.
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