Falcons Get Injury Boost from Key Defensive Player

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - The Atlanta Falcons dealt with a tough week on the injury front with the loss of second-year edge rusher Jalon Walker to a season-ending injury.

The Falcons also pulled the plug on oft-injured linebacker Troy Andersen on Friday afternoon. Andersen has been unable to get on the field for meaningful snaps since September of 2024, and he didn't play at all last season.

But the team announced on Friday afternoon that defensive lineman Zach Harrison is being taken off the Non-Football Injury list and has been cleared to return to practice.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Friday morning that he thought Harrison was close to a return, and he wasn't kidding. Harrison had been working with Andersen on a separate field from the rest of the team, as he wasn't allowed to take part in any practice activities, because he was on the NFI list.

His return to practice and hopefully long stay on the active roster after missing significant time last year is a boost for the Falcons' defense in need of a mental lift, if not a physical one, after losing one of its leaders in Walker.

Harrison was in the midst of a breakout season last year with 4.5 sacks in just seven games as he battled a knee injury that shut him down for good after Week 10. Harrison has been on the cusp of breaking out several times in his previous three years.

He had three sacks in his final three games as a rookie with eyes on a bigger 2024, but the first-time defensive coordinator employed a 2-4-5 prevent scheme that used just two defensive tackles and two stand-up edges, leaving Harrison, who works best as a 3-4 or 4-3 end, without a position.

Jeff Ulbrich's arrival last season breathed new life into Harrison's career, but injury cost him what could have been a breakout season similar to that of his opposite number, Brandon Dorlus, who thrived in Ulbrich's three-man front with 8.5 sacks.

Harrison was selected with the Falcons' third-round pick in the 2023 draft, and he has watched running back Bijan Robinson and offensive guard Matthew Bergeron, taken in the first and second rounds, respectively, in the same draft, sign massive contract extensions.

Scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season, Harrison now has the opportunity to show he can be a productive player for 17 games and earn a big pay raise for himself.

He's shown flashes; now he needs to shine consistently.

Harrison took a big step on Friday.