Vibes were high for the Atlanta Falcons heading into the second week of training camp after extending Matthew Bergeron over the weekend and ending the Bijan Robinson hold-in on Tuesday with a massive contract extension. But tragedy struck Falcons camp later that practice.
Second-year star defender Jalon Walker went down with an injury and was carted off the field, ending practice and sending shockwaves throughout the building, fanbase and NFL. Reports have indicated that Walker tore his ACL and will miss the entire 2026 NFL season. Devastating.
That heartbreak should push Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham to add another edge rusher, especially with a potential James Pearce Jr. suspension looming. Perhaps he doesn't need to look further than former NFC South foe Haason Reddick, who spent last year with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Falcons could call Haason Reddick after losing Jalon Walker for the year
Let's just start by saying that Reddick isn't going to replace Walker, who is a tremendous young player in this league. But Reddick does know defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, with whom he overlapped for a season when the two were with the New York Jets.
In a bind, familiar faces tend to get a call. And while Reddick played just 10 games and recorded only 1.0 sack for the Jets' defense, Ulbrich's spending time with him that season may just be the leg up that he needs to get in the building in Atlanta.
Last season, while playing in Tampa Bay, Reddick recorded just 2.5 sacks, six tackles for loss and six quarterback hits in 570 defensive snaps. Clearly, he isn't the same player that he was when he was a Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 and 2023.
But he is a veteran player with immense experience and could supplement what Pearce Jr. (if he plays), Samson Ebukam and Cameron Thomas can do on the edge for Ulbrich's group. At the very least, it's worth a phone call.
Reddick still boasted a solid 11.5% pass-rush win rate last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which was better than Walker's 10.6% or Pearce Jr.'s 10.9%. It may not have led to taking down the QB last year, but Von Miller showed in 2025 that sacks can come in bunches for seasoned vets.
Atlanta certainly doesn't need to get desperate, but the free agent market isn't exactly robust at this point in the offseason. Reddick would be cheap, he knows Ulbrich, and he is at least worth a phone call for Cunningham, whatever that may lead to.
Walker being out for the year has left the Falcons with some decisions to make, though.
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