Falcons' Raheem Morris Explains Jalon Walker's Absence in Week 2 of Preseason

Atlanta Falcons first-round rookie Jalon Walker didn't play Friday night against the Tennessee Titans during Week 2 of the preseason. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters after the game why.

"[Walker] had a couple days of practice with those guys and had two practices," Morris said to the media Friday night. "Kind of hurt himself a little, tweaked his groin a little bit on that last play that he was in during joint practices.

"So, we held him tonight. Looking forward to getting him back out there next week."

Rookie Jalon Walker Doesn't Play in NFL Preseason Week 2 Because of Groin Injury

The good news is it doesn't sound like Walker's injury is serious. If he returns next week, especially to play in the team's preseason finale on August 22, then the rookie's absence in Week 2 won't mean much.

As Morris explained, Walker received reps against another team this past week in joint practices. So, there was a chance that he wasn't going to play a lot Friday night anyway.

The Falcons drafted Walker at No. 15 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It was a pleasant surprise that the Georgia edge rusher was available to the Falcons at that draft position. A lot of mock drafts had Walker going off the board earlier than No. 15.

The hope in Atlanta is Walker hits the ground running immediately as a rookie to help the Falcons pass rush. That unit was, once again, one of the weakest in the league for the Falcons last season.

Walker posted 12.5 sacks in 43 games at Georgia during his college career. Last season, he had 6.5 sacks with 11 tackles for loss in 14 contests.

Falcons Displaying Edge Rushing Depth in 2025 Preseason

With the selection of Walker leading the way, the Falcons emphasized improving along the defensive edge this offseason. It's only the preseason, but the early fruits of that labor have been impressive.

Morris addressed Friday night how it could be difficult to decide which edge rushers make the final 53-man roster.

"Terry [Fontenot]`s got some tough decisions, man," Morris said. "I hate to be him, but that's a good problem, right?

"You’ve got a good problem when you’ve got a bunch of edge guys that you really love, and you’ve got a bunch of guys that go out there and play really hard. We'll make those decisions together, obviously, like we always do, and we'll always think about the team and what makes us better.”

Obviously, Walker and fellow first-round edge rusher James Pearce Jr. are locks to make the roster. As are free-agent signee Leonard Floyd, former second-round pick Arnold Ebiketie and 2024 third-rounder Bralen Trice.

But the Falcons also have edge rushers DeAngelo Malone and Khalid Kareem on the roster. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how many edge rushers Atlanta keeps on its final roster.