Falcons edge Jalon Walker leaves practice on cart, feared to have torn ACL: Reports

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Jalon Walker went down with an injury at Tuesday's practice. After his teammates huddled around him in support, he was taken to the locker room on a cart.

The fear is that Walker has torn his ACL, per ESPN's Ian Rapoport, but the defender still needs to get an MRI on his knee for confirmation.

The edge rusher was selected 15th overall by the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Walker played in 15 games, starting nine of them. He finished the season with 36 total tackles, including 5.5 sacks, 9 QB hits and 2 forced fumbles.

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Walker was expected to take a step forward in his second season. He was projected to be the starting weakside linebacker for Atlanta under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

His 5.5 sacks from last season were the third most on the team. If Walker is confirmed to have torn his ACL, he would miss the entirety of the 2026-2027 season.

It will be tough for the Falcons to replace his production if Walker misses the entire season. Atlanta brought in veteran linebacker Josh Woods this offseason, but the move was expected to be more for depth than for him to have a bigger role.

Defensive end Cameron Thomas, who was projected to back up Walker, could get the first shot at starting. He had 2.5 sacks for the Cleveland Browns last season.