FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Billy Bowman Jr. had one of the hottest starts to a career as any rookie did to begin the 2025 season.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons had high expectations for Bowman. They were expectations he not only met, but even exceeded. In competition for the starting nickel role throughout the offseason and training camp, Bowman won the job to start the season.

His goal going into his rookie season was for his presence to be felt.

"I feel like everybody can see it when I'm out there," Bowman said. "Something is different. The way I move. The way I run to the ball. The way I get to the ball."

In the role, Bowman did exactly what he set out to do. He flourished, bursting onto the scene through the first month of the season.

He recorded an interception, forced a fumble, deflected passes and even had 1.5 sacks as defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich dialed him up on some blitzes.

"Billy Bowman has been awesome," former head coach Raheem Morris said during Bowman's hot start. "He's been outstanding. He's made a bunch of significant plays. He's been able to go out there and really show he's definitely formed a role that he's going to play for us, regardless."

Just as quickly as Bowman shined, however, that light was snuffed. The defensive back missed four games from Weeks 6 through 9 with a hamstring strain. He returned for a couple games, playing a pivotal role in consecutive overtime matches against the Panthers and Colts. However, at practice upon the team's return from Germany following the game against the Colts, Bowman ruptured his Achilles tendon, ending his season.

Since then, Bowman has been on the road to recovery. Though he hadn't been cleared to participate in practice, Bowman has been seen standing on the sideline with his coaches and teammates at every turn throughout OTAs, training camp and the preseason. All the while, working through his rehabilitation.

"Billy is right there, making sure that even though he's maybe not getting a full-speed rep, he's right in the thick of it," current head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "(Bowman is) making sure he's not missing out on any mental reps."

That work did not go unnoticed by Falcons decision-makers. So much so that Bowman — despite there being alternatives if he needed more time — made the initial 53-man roster with no extra move to injured reserve in the days thereafter the initial cut down.

"It's a testament to him," Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said Wednesday. "His work ethic, his resilience, the time in which he's put into his body to fight to get back."

Cunningham praised the Falcons' medical staff, too, giving them credit for putting a return-to-play plan together that made Bowman "feel confident."

The Falcons general manager said he does not know when Bowman will get that final all-clear, but he's close enough that the Falcons felt comfortable putting him on the 53-man roster and not on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP).

In essence, this means that once Bowman is cleared to return, he can fully and without having to miss four full games like he'd have to do if he was placed on IR or PUP.

Again, Cunningham reiterated, it's a credit to the work Bowman has put in. It's something that as Cunningham has been around this team more and more, he sees as a trait amongst the locker room.

"The beauty is we have a lot of players like that," Cunningham explained. "What we're seeing is we have a lot of players that are fighting to get back, that are returning, that are willing to fight through some nicks."

But in Bowman's case specifically, Cunningham noted, "he'd done a really good job" to set him up for his return to the gridiron.