The Atlanta Falcons' pass rush produced in a way that no one, and I mean no one, could've ever seen coming last season. They finished behind only the Denver Broncos in total sacks with 57, setting a franchise record in the process.
But the chances of the team duplicating that are next to none this season. They already lost Jalon Walker with a season-ending injury, Kaden Elliss and Arnold Ebiketie in free agency, and will now be without James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games of 2026 due to a lengthy suspension.
The new front office tried to address the issue by bringing in a couple of veterans, including Samson Ebukam. Ebukam will be relied upon this season, especially after impressing early on during training camp.
Samson Ebukam has suddenly become the key to the Falcons' pass rush without James Pearce Jr.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the Falcons' pass rush this season, even before the Walker injury and Pearce suspension became official. The unit lost a significant part of its pressure production in the offseason -- namely Kaden Elliss, who, despite only having 3.5 sacks, put pressure on the offensive line on every single play and opened holes for his teammates.
Now steps in Ebukam, who must be the guy to lead the veteran unit. He has a history of success with 35 career sacks, including a 9.5-sack season in 2023. But he tore his Achilles the season after his career-best season, and followed it up with a two-sack 2025 campaign.
The good news is Jeff Ulbrich gets the best out of his front seven. His early work with Ebukam has shown up this summerle by taking down -- or what is equivalent to taking down in practice -- the quarterback.
Deep down Kevin Knight's fantastic training camp notes is an insight into how the veteran has been playing during scrimmages. He has worked with different hockey lines, which is something Ulbrich loves to do.
#Falcons Day 7 training camp notes:
— Kevin Knight (@FalcoholicKevin) August 5, 2026
INJURIES/UPDATES
-This was the second padded practice and the first with full-contact tackling in 11-on-11. The players loved this and the energy level was noticeably higher.
-Safety Jessie Bates III was not on the field today. It appears he's…
Ebukam isn't expected to suddenly become a double-digit sack artist. The nine-year veteran simply needs to be a veteran leader in a spread-the-sack defense. To put it simply, he needs to be this year's Leonard Floyd.
Remember, outside of James Pearce Jr., no one really lit up the stat sheet with sacks last year. Brandon Dorlus' 8.5 finished second behind JPJ's 10.5. And it was an even bigger drop-off behind those two with Walker's 5.5.
Ulbrich's system is all about spreading the wealth. The Dirty Birds had 16 players record at least one sack, and eight record at least 3.5. A big part of that was Floyd's leadership, which is now Ebukam's responsibility. Hopefully, he can improve the high bar set in 2025 and replace Pearce and Walker.
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