FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — With training camp set to begin next month for the Atlanta Falcons, we're kicking off our preview series that will take a closer look at where each position group stands after the 2026 offseason.

This series will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between the last week of June and July 22, which is one week before the Falcons' first training camp practice is set to take place on July 29. These previews will include any offseason personnel changes, notable stats from the 2025 season and key questions entering training camp.

Up next, the Falcons' outside linebackers

Previous installments: Special Teams | Offensive line | Defensive line

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

Coaches:

• John Timu — Outside linebackers coach

Returning contributors:

• Jalon Walker
• James Pearce Jr.
• DeAngelo Malone

Notable newcomers:

• Azeez Ojulari
• Cameron Thomas
• Samson Ebukam

Rest of the roster:

• Bralen Trice
• Keshawn Banks

Offseason departures:

• Leonard Floyd
• Arnold Ebiketie
• Khalid Kareem

3 key questions for the Falcons outside linebackers

1. How does Jalon Walker evolve in Year 2?

Glad you asked. Here's defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's answer to that very question.

"There's a lot of steps. The fact that he is so versatile and that his calling card is his ability to do so many things. We are going to need to become better in everything he does — whether it is pass rush, edge setting at the line of scrimmage, small role off the ball, coverage, blitz. We are going to ask him to do a lot. He is one of those guys who is going to be in a similar role to what Kaden (Elliss) had last year. What we had asked Kaden to do, I had never been around anything like that before in the past. There were days when he was an outside backer, days when he was a defensive end, days he was an inside backer, days he was — in some ways — a nickel. That's hard to replace. Jalon is up to the task, and Jalon is going to bring his own flavor to it, too. I think Jalon has some superpowers that are unique. He's tough. He loves this game. He has this obvious skillset that we all see, but what you don't see is the guy behind the scenes. He has some real, authentic leadership to him. This word is thrown around way too often, but the force multiplier. But that's who he is. He is a guy who elevates the people around him. He will make us better, collectively as he gets better."

How Ulbrich ultimately chooses to use Walker in his second professional season could have ripple effects across the unit in terms of both lineup and rotation, but also individual responsibilities of select players. Walker could be — and likely is — the linchpin.

2. Can the Falcons replace what they lost in free agency with what they gained?

As a group in 2025, Atlanta edge defenders had the 10th-best pressure rate among all NFL edge groups, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, generating pressure on 13.5% of their pass rush snaps. Per TruMedia, it took the Falcons' edge defenders 4.5 seconds to record a sack on average, which was the third-fastest time in the league. All of this helping the defensive unit as a whole break the franchise record in sacks. Though the two biggest contributors from this position group return, others left in free agency, namely Leonard Floyd (15 games played, 3.5 sacks, 31 pressures) and Arnold Ebiketie (17 games played, 2 sacks, 29 pressures).

The Falcons worked to fill in the room in free agency, signing Azeez Ojulari, Cameron Thomas and Samson Ebukam. How these individuals fare and mesh within Ulbrich's scheme will be something to monitor.

3. Can Bralen Trice make his professional debut?

There's the other name to keep in mind, too, when thinking about what the Falcons could potentially gain in 2026: Bralen Trice.

Because of knee injuries, Trice has yet to play a down for the Falcons since he was drafted two offseasons ago. Back then, Trice was an intriguing rookie out of Washington. He had an impressive rookie training camp that July and August, and arguably moved up the rotation with a couple really solid performances in both team scrimmage settings and, later, joint practices with Miami. However, those flashes of something exciting in Miami have yet to materialize into something concrete because of injuries. Still, Trice is working to get back to form. He spent majority of this offseason OTA period on the field with the team. He participated in just about every single rep he could within the defensive front rotation, and that included team 11-on-11 work.

Can he stay healthy, though? That's the big question, right. And if healthy, how does he fit into the rotation? Trice is someone who came into the league seemingly ready to go, even pushing for a starting spot the training camp of his rookie season. But after two injuries, what type of player is Trice in 2026? And can that player make an impact?