The Atlanta Falcons have made it a priority to find upgrades on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Training camp finally got underway this week, and the first practice went down on Thursday.
This is when players begin to stand out and start separating themselves on the depth chart. ESPN's Marc Raimondi is tracking every practice and discussed how rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. were taking first-team reps, which led to Arnold Ebiketie being with the second-team.
Raimondi wrote, "Rookie edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. both got reps with the first-team defense in practice, with edge rushers Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie working mostly with the second team. As expected, the Falcons are going to throw the two first-round picks into the fire early."
This ESPN page will be updated throughout #Falcons training camp on the latest things going on in Flowery Branch https://t.co/Iv1k8gcIcm
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) July 23, 2025
Falcons Arnold Ebiketie May End up on Trading Block
It's no surprise that Walker and Pearce Jr. are getting run with the first team as the Falcons used two first-round picks – and in the case of Pearce, an additional 2026 first-round pick – on these guys. This pass rush needs a lot of help after they were 31st in the NFL in team sacks (31) last season.
Ebiketie has been with Atlanta since 2022 after being the 38th overall pick in the NFL draft. Over 50 games with them, he's finished with 93 total tackles, 35 QB hits, 12 TFLs, and 14.5 sacks. The Penn State product has finished with six sacks in each of the last two seasons.
According to PFF, he finished with a 68.2 overall grade (67th among 211 graded edge defenders) and 68.1 pass-rush grade (54th among 211 graded edge defenders) last season. He's a nice piece in the defensive end room, but he's also going into the last year of his rookie deal.
The odds are Atlanta isn't going to pay him a lucrative extension, and it would be smart to get some kind of asset in return. Teams are always looking for more pass rushers in the league, so it wouldn't be difficult to get something for Ebiketie.
In addition to Walker and Pearce Jr., Bralen Trice is returning from a torn ACL. They used a 2024 third-round pick on Trice, and the team has high hopes for him. He's a full go for camp and looks to showcase why the team drafted him with the 74th overall pick.
They also handed Floyd a one-year, $10 million guaranteed deal, so they are going to ride it out with him in 2025. Of course, fans want to keep as many pass rushers on the team as possible, but it would be smart to gain any type of asset for a player that will likely walk in free agency next spring.