When considering the Atlanta Falcons players who have the most to prove once training camp begins next week, most people would probably say Michael Penix Jr. However, his former college teammate, Bralen Trice, isn't too far behind, because he's the biggest mystery on the 90-man roster right now.
Trice has never played a down of regular-season football, and the Falcons are finally going to get to see what they have in him this summer. The 25-year-old missed the first two seasons of his career due to injury, but finally has a clean bill of health, which has been rare for him since reaching the NFL.
Trice tore his ACL in his first preseason game, and was sidelined for his entire rookie season. But it doesn't end there. He missed all of 2025 after re-aggravating the same knee injury from the season prior, so proving himself as a potential contributor on the defensive line this summer is imperative.
The Falcons still need Bralen Trice to answer some questions this summer
Atlanta is still looking to evaluate what the 2024 third-round pick can become, but there is reason for optimism. There were positive reports about Trice's performance during minicamp and OTAs, but training camp practices are more daunting because they are more full-speed as the season nears.
The other issue is that the Phoenix native was drafted by the Falcons to play for then-DC Jimmy Lake, who coached him at Washington. But now it's on a new coaching staff to develop him, and for Jeff Ulbrich to find his niche role, which he was unable to do before because of his inability to stay healthy.
Trice was the 74th overall pick two years ago: the Dirty Birds aren't exactly in a position to move on from him now. But since he only has two seasons left on his rookie deal, time is running out for him to prove himself as a long-term piece for this Atlanta defense and carve out a role on the defensive line.
But here's the thing: the Falcons aren't expecting him to set the world on fire. Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are their franchise cornerstones off the edge, so if they can get some rotational production out of Trice, that would be ideal. But they may need to ask more of him than they expected in 2026.
Pearce is still dealing with the fallout of his February arrest, and a suspension is still on the table. And his backups are Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari: two edge rushers who struggle to stay healthy. So a healthy Trice may have to play a role in the event that the second-year man misses some time.
It's quite simple: if Bralen Trice stays healthy and sustains his momentum in training camp, there's a real world where the Falcons find a diamond in the rough and another stud pass-rusher: just two years later than they expected to.
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