The Falcons officially placed Walker (knee) on injured reserve Thursday, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.
Walker was carted off the field at the end of Tuesday's practice, and he was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee a day later, thereby putting an end to his second campaign. He made an impact as a 2025 first-round pick last year, totaling 36 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defense in 15 regular-season games. The likes of Cameron Thomas, Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari are poised for more pass-rush reps alongside starter James Pearce this season.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: ACL tear confirmed
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Walker has been diagnosed with an ACL tear, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
As suspected, Walker will need surgery and is set to miss the entire season. Coming off a 5.5-sack rookie campaign, Walker was expected to start at outside linebacker for the Falcons this year. With fellow pass rusher and 2025 draft pick James Pearce facing serious legal issues, Atlanta's pass rush looks to be in poor shape with the season just five weeks away.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Torn ACL likely
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Walker is believed to have suffered a torn ACL during Tuesday's practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
On what ended up being the last play of Tuesday's session, Walker remained on the ground following a pass-rush rep and was carted off the field due to a left leg injury, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic. Walker will undergo tests to determine the nature of the issue, but if a torn ACL is confirmed, his second season would be over before it started. As a rookie first-rounder in 2025, he racked up 5.5 sacks among his 36 tackles in 15 regular-season games.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Deemed limited Tuesday
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Walker (quadriceps) was estimated as a limited participant in Tuesday's practice walkthrough.
Walker had to leave Sunday's loss to Seattle early after hurting his quad in the first half. He's been deemed limited in each of the Falcons' two walkthroughs this week, so his status is very much up in the air ahead of Thursday's Week 15 matchup versus Tampa Bay. If Walker can't play against the Bucs, Arnold Ebiketie and James Pearce could both be in line for more defensive snaps than usual.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Leaves game with quad injury
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Walker (quadriceps) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Walker is having his quad injury evaluated by medical staff to determine whether he can return to Sunday's game. Arnold Ebiketie and James Pearce are in line for more snaps at the edge rusher position for as long as Walker is out of the game.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Relatively quiet Sunday
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Walker recorded four tackles (four solo) during Sunday's 30-27 overtime loss versus the Panthers.
Walker logged 3.0 sacks over the two games prior to Sunday's contest, but he was blanked in that category in Week 11. He'll be hoping to get back in the sack column in a Week 12 matchup against the division-rival Saints.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Returning to action Sunday
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Walker (groin) is active for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Walker missed the past two games due to a groin injury but will return to action Sunday after logging a trio of limited sessions during Week 9 prep. With Leonard Floyd (hamstring) also available, Walker may be in a rotation with Floyd, Arnold Ebiketie and fellow rookie James Pearce.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Out for Week 8
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Walker (groin) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The 2025 first-round pick from Georgia is now in line to miss his second consecutive game due to a groin injury sustained in the Week 6 win over the Bills. Walker has appeared in five games this season, recording 14 total tackles, including 1.0 sacks. While he's sidelined Sunday, expect James Pearce to operate as the Falcons' lone reserve edge rusher.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Deemed DNP for walkthrough
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Walker (groin) was estimated as a non-participant in Wednesday's practice walkthrough, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Walker logged his usual allotment of snaps versus Buffalo on Monday Night Football, but he appears to have also picked up a groin injury. The Falcons held a walkthrough Wednesday, so more clarity about his status could come when the team returns to regular practices. Walker typically logs somewhere around a 50 percent defensive snap share for the Falcons.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Dealing with groin issue
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Walker tweaked his groin in practice Wednesday and didn't play in Friday's preseason loss to Tennessee, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
The Falcons expect Walker to return to practice next week, so he doesn't seem to be dealing with a long-term injury. The rookie first-round draft pick logged 19 defensive snaps in Atlanta's first preseason contest against Detroit and recorded one tackle. He's being counted on to provide a boost to the Falcons' pass rush, which tallied the second-fewest sacks in the league last year.
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Falcons' Jalon Walker: Chosen by Falcons 15th overall
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The Falcons selected Walker in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 15th overall.
Walker (6-foot-1, 243 pounds) might be seen as a tweener between off-ball linebacker and a pass rusher from the edge, but the general belief is that the Georgia product can thrive in either or both capacities. Particularly with more unorthodox formations popping up across the league every year, there should be ways to get Walker in prime playmaking position even if it takes some novel approaches to get it done. It remains to be seen whether the Falcons cross-train Walker between the inside and outside linebacker positions, but that might be the plan given that they have some stopgap players at both positions as it is. Walker might therefore be at some risk of playing as a swing backup during his rookie year, but he should claim a three-down role in the Atlanta defense by 2026 at the latest.
