Samson Ebukam has moved into the main first-team role opposite Jalon Walker in Falcons training camp, a sign the team is preparing for the possibility that James Pearce Jr. may not be available. Ebukam has taken the majority of the first-team work in 11-on-11s, while Pearce has been working with the second unit as he is eased back into football after returning with the team at OTAs.
That matters because the Falcons went into the offseason worried about depth off the edge and signed multiple pass-rushers to make sure the rotation would hold up. If Pearce is out, Azeez Ojulari and Ebukam are expected to carry major work, and the early camp reps suggest Ebukam is the first man up.
Ebukam also gives the Falcons a known point of reference. The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal and logged a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2023, when Falcons DL coach Nate Ollie was his DL coach. Atlanta is hoping that version of Ebukam shows up again after the Achilles tear that changed his 2024 season, and that is part of why the staff has leaned on him early.
There is still a split between what the Falcons are planning for and what they can actually count on. Pearce was arrested back in February, and the team has been braced for a possible suspension since then, but it has not been made clear whether that punishment will ever come or how long it would last if it does. Pearce is back with the team and could still be a useful rotational edge rusher if he stays eligible, yet his reps have already been reduced while Atlanta builds out the other side of the rotation.
For now, the clearest read is that the Falcons are treating Ebukam as the safer bet to start the camp work next to Jalon Walker. If Pearce avoids suspension, the edge group gets deeper and the rotation gets more flexible. If not, the first-team reps Ebukam is getting now look less like a temporary adjustment and more like the shape of Atlanta’s opening plan.
