After star second-year player and fan favorite Jalon Walker tore his ACL last week, it was inevitable that the Atlanta Falcons were going to add to their pas-rushing room, and they just did. Per CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, the Falcons signed former Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Cameron Sample, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The #Falcons are signing defensive end Cameron Sample, a source tells @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 10, 2026
Former fourth-round draft pick who played for the Bengals the last five seasons. Has 85 career tackles and 25 career quarterback hits. pic.twitter.com/QwbwAok6aB
Sample is a native of Snellville, Georgia, so Walker's injury saw the Falcons bring him home. What does this move currently tell us as media and consumers? The Falcons are needy after a recent rough stretch in the pass rush department, that much is obvious.
As we know, Walker will be out for the year, and reigning rookie sack leader James Pearce Jr. could be suspended “at least eight games” under the NFL’s personal conduct policy for his February arrest, leaving 16 combined sacks worth of rookie production possibly gone for nearly half the season for Jeff Ulbrich’s defense.
The Atlanta Falcons found their Jalon Walker replacement in Cameron Sample
The overarching message? There's no time to sit around on his hands sulking, General Manager Ian Cunningham further shows this regime has been proactive vs. reactive. Get ahead of market contracts, get ahead of potential discipline, etc.
Released by the 49ers last week, the 26-year-old Sample is a cheap swing of the bat, having played on a Bengals rookie deal of 4 years, $4.27M. Consider this as well, the 49ers are ate up, let me repeat, ate up with injuries at the position and as a whole team.
The substation is working overtime along with their rehabilitation resources and timeline, subsequently listing Sample with a temporary knee injury on the waiver log this week. In 2025, he totaled 2.0 sacks with two tackles for loss and six quarterback hits in 14 games back from a 2024 Achilles tear
Commonly seen, Year 2 off that injury should bring more comfort and a better return for the former Tulane four-year starter. Foundational explosiveness is there with Sample. Before even cutting on the tape, a 37-inch vertical at the NFL Combine at 267 pounds will perk the ears of evaluators.
Keep the faith as best you can Falcons fans. Does it hurt to sit here off a RARE second-ranked team sacks total (57 sacks) in 2025 and see this depletion after years of being the laughing stock of the league in terms of rushing the passer? Yes, it does. Does it hurt to see the raving 2025 NFL Draft class providing only safety Xavier Watts as the only remaining contributor currently not hurt or in legal trouble? Yes, it does.
Moments like these are where Cunningham and Ulbrich make the big bucks and display their creativity. Moments like these open the doors for the next man to step up and break out. With Jalon Walker injured, someone has a golden opportunity.
Whether it be Brandon Dorlus building off an 8.5 sack season, Zach Harrison’s recent return from injury that took him away from what appeared to be his breakout (4.5 sacks in 7 games in 2025), offseason free agent additions of Azeez Ojulari, Samson Ebukam, and Cameron Thomas, rookie draft choices Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr., or lastly the long-awaited debut of 2024 third-round pick Bralen Trice … keep the faith while the front office keeps trying.
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