Pass rushing has long been an Achilles heel for the Atlanta Falcons, and 2024 may be no different.
Both the Falcons’ top sack producers from last year — Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree, each with 6.5 — remain free agents. Atlanta didn’t address its edge rush until the third round of April’s draft, selecting Washington’s Bralen Trice.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris believe pass rush comes from a variety of spots, be it inside, outside or via manufactured pressure packages.
But there’s also optimism surrounding the pieces Atlanta returns, including third-year pro Arnold Ebiketie, who finished third on the team with six sacks and 12 quarterback hits last season.
“You go back a year with AK, and AK really came on as a [pass] rusher,” Fontenot said. “Obviously he has places to grow, but we believe that he's going to take another step this year and continue to grow.”
The 25-year-old Ebiketie made considerable progress from his rookie season in 2022 to his second campaign in 2023.
Ebiketie, a second-round pick in 2022, had a challenging rookie season, making 16 appearances with one start while recording three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
He found his stride midway through the year, headlined by winning Atlanta’s Defensive Player of the Game in Week 11 against the Chicago Bears after posting one sack and two tackles for loss.
But the following week, Ebiketie suffered a forearm injury after playing just nine snaps. He missed the next game, and while he returned for the final four contests, never made it back to the quarterback.
Given the offseason to recover, Ebiketie showed up at Falcons training camp feeling the game had slowed down. He said he was in better shape and felt more comfortable than the year prior.
A breakout year ensued. Ebiketie played in all 17 games with six starts, logging 28 pressures and 17 hurries across 175 pass rushing snaps, giving him a 10.2% pressure rate.
In the final month of last season, then-Falcons coach Arthur Smith said he was pleased with the progress Ebiketie made, citing his hand usage and ability to set the edge.
And Morris, through his first three months on the job, has seen similarly-encouraging traits from the 6-3, 256-pound edge presence.
“He's got a significant amount of starts under his belt, playing heavy, playing with nice hands, doing stuff like that,” Morris said. “That's really exciting.”
Perhaps no Falcon benefited more from draft weekend than Ebiketie, who added Trice but no other outside a room that also includes seven-year pro Lorenzo Carter, third-year special teams ace DeAngelo Malone and fourth-year rotational piece Ade Ogundeji, who missed all of last season with a lower leg injury.
Now, Ebiketie has a runway to pass rush stardom — and in defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake’s 3-4 defense, he may be ready for take off.
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