Ever since James Pearce Jr. was arrested back in February, the Atlanta Falcons have been prepared for the possibility of him getting suspended. While Pearce has been back with the team since OTAs, he's been taking reps with the second-team defense in order to ease him back into football activities.
Knowing they lacked depth off the edge without him, the Falcons managed to sign multiple pass-rushers in free agency. Both Azeez Ojulari and Samson Ebukam are expected to play key roles in the event Pearce gets suspended, but Ebukam has started to step into his role opposite Jalon Walker.
The Falcons signed the 31-year-old to a one-year deal in free agency in hopes of seeing if he'll return to his pre-Achilles tear form from 2023--when he logged a career-high 9.5 sacks. And it just so happens that his breakout season came when Falcons DL coach Nate Ollie was his DL coach.
The Atlanta Falcons will rely on Samson Ebukam more than we expect
The reunion between Ollie and Ebukam in Atlanta is plenty intriguing, and training camp has unveiled more of the plans in store here. After turning some heads earlier this offseason, the veteran pass-rusher has unsurprisingly gotten the majority of the first-team work opposite Walker in 11-on-11s.
Both The Athletic's Josh Kendall and The Falcoholic's Kevin Knight noticed that Ebukam lined up as Atlanta's second starting EDGE during 11-on-11s. There may be more a rotation next to Walker with Ojulari and Cameron Thomas, but the majority of that first-team work has been and will be Ebukam's.
In the event that Pearce isn't suspended, the 2017 fourth-round pick will be a quality rotational edge rusher, but if he does, he'll likely be the player the Dirty Birds call upon to step up. And that's because not only does he have the history with Ollie, he is the most experienced player in this pass-rush room.
The Eastern Washington product has 127 career games and 79 starts under his belt. He's been around the block, and that level of experience is something the Falcons need after losing Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie this offseason--and he should be able to help mentor this younger DL.
The Falcons are hoping to see Ebukam turn back the clock in 2026, and it sure sounds like he's going to play a key role in ensuring this pass-rush repeats what they accomplished last year. The NFL may still be conducting their investigation on James Pearce Jr., but it's become clear Samson Ebukam will play a key role regardless of any possible suspension.
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