The Atlanta Falcons officially introduced Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach in his opening press conference yesterday. It’s the start of something hopefully great for the team as they have needed more consistency on offense. The hiring of Stefanski, who was a two-time Coach of the Year award winner with the Cleveland Browns, is a great one for Atlanta.
The Falcons need someone who has had some success, and Stefanski has to prove that he was not the main issue in Cleveland. While there is a great amount of excitement on the offensive side of the ball, the defense has a good amount of continuity in the coaching staff and that will heavily benefit the players, especially the younger ones.
One of those players is linebacker/edge rusher Jalon Walker, whom the Falcons drafted in the first round last April before they traded back up to acquire James Pearce. The combo of Walker and Pearce is a potentially dangerous one for opposing defenses. Pearce showed off a ton of promise and Walker did pretty well considering they moved him from linebacker to edge rusher.
Jalon Walker has chance to become immediate star for Falcons in 2026
Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus (PFF) listed each team’s early 2026 breakout candidate, and Wasserman listed Walker for the Falcons which was what fans thought it would be.
"Perhaps the more surprising part is that his 81.3 PFF run-defense grade ranked sixth among qualified edge defenders. Walker was supposed to go through a longer transition period in the run game as he made the move from linebacker to edge defender. If he maintains that production while continuing to improve as a pass rusher, he could soon become a bona fide star."Dalton Wasserman, PFF
His run-defense abilities really showed in his first season, which should be exciting for Falcons fans. If he is able to keep improving as an edge rusher to go with Pearce, the Falcons could easily have the league’s more dangerous pass rush we have seen in a little bit.
With Jeff Ulbrich back as the defensive coordinator, Walker gets to have the same coach and he gets the opportunity to show why Atlanta spent a first round pick on him. If things go well, the Falcons will have themselves an immediate star on the defense.