FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons' defensive front looks different than it did in 2025.

Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London and Zach Harrison are the only defensive linemen currently on the 53-man roster who had a hand in setting a new franchise sack record last season. There's a new collection of players around that trio, but the group has coalesced quickly and become greater than the sum of its individual parts.

Through their first three games, the results are hard to ignore. The Falcons have shown an early evolution in two key areas: run defense and generating pressure with four pass rushers.

Entering their game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, the Falcons have allowed just 48 rushing yards per game, which is the best mark in the league by nearly 30 yards. In Week 3, Atlanta held the Green Bay Packers to just 17 yards on the ground, setting another franchise record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a game.

Part of their early success against the run can be explained by the relatively low number of rushing attempts by the teams they've played thus far. Opponents average a little over 17 carries per game against Atlanta, the lowest mark in the league. However, the Falcons still lead the league with 2.8 yards allowed per carry, so it's not fair to say their success against the run is driven by a lack of volume.

The Falcons incrementally increased the size of their defensive line over the offseason, in part to help slow down opposing rushing attacks. Two of the key additions in general manager Ian Cunningham's first offseason came via trade.

In April, Atlanta sent Ruke Orhorhoro to Jacksonville for 6-foot-5, 305-pound Maason Smith in a rare one-for-one player swap. Then, during roster cutdowns, the Falcons acquired 6-foot-6, 326-pound Gervon Dexter Sr. from the Chicago Bears in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick.

Both players have lived up to the team's expectations early on. That's especially true of Dexter, whom the Falcons signed to a four-year extension last week.

"His makeup is elite. Like, [he] loves football, willing to work his butt off at it," Ulbrich said of Dexter. "So, although he's played well the first three games with us, this is a guy that's just scratching the surface, especially within what we do because what we do is fairly unique and different than what he's done in his past at any level of football. So as he gets more comfortable with what we do, I think you're just going to see him continue to ascend."

Dexter epitomizes the fine line the Falcons tried to walk in their efforts to improve against the run. In adding more size to their front, the Falcons did not want to sacrifice their ability to rush the passer. They didn't just want bigger bodies; they wanted bigger bodies who could move well.

Through the first three weeks, Dexter had 15 quarterback pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, tying him with Tennessee Titans star Jeffery Simmons for the most in the league by a defensive tackle. He's not the only one compiling advanced-stat accolades, though.

Dorlus is just behind him with 12 quarterback pressures, and he is fourth in ESPN’s pass-rush-win-rate rankings, beating his opponent 30% of the time.

"To be the size that he is and move the way he does is really unique," Ulbrich said of Dorlus. "His ability to reduce surface; he's going to always win at a high rate from a pass. And where he's really evolved and grown, because he always had that, even at Oregon he had great movement, he's become this gritty, tough, physical run defender as well."

One spot ahead of Dorlus in ESPN's rankings? That would be Smith, who has won his rushes 32% of the time.

The pressure Atlanta has generated is having an impact. Entering Monday night, the Falcons have a defensive success rate of 66%, which is the second-best mark in the league behind only the Minnesota Vikings. Unlike the Vikings, though, the Falcons have not relied on sending extra pass rushers to achieve that level of success.

Minnesota leads the NFL with a 70.5% blitz rate, which is nearly 25% more than the second team on that list. In 2025, Atlanta was that team just below Minnesota in blitz rate, sending extra pass rushers more than 37% of the time. This season, the Falcons are on the other side of the spectrum.

In Weeks 1-3, Atlanta blitzed on 19% of its defensive snaps, which is the second-lowest rate in the NFL. But the pass rush is still getting home with the adjusted approach, and the Falcons' 41.6% pressure rate is fourth-best heading into Monday night.

Atlanta entered its matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 of the 2025 season, ranked seventh in pressure rate, per Next Gen Stats. While many pointed to the team's pressure rate at that time as an example of the improvement up front under Ulbrich, he discussed it in a way that emphasized the remaining room for growth.

"I want us to rely on our front four to win and do their thing and play coverage behind it," Ulbrich said. "But right now, we're just not quite there yet. We're getting closer to that, and we're working towards that, where we'll pressure a little bit less. Until we get there, that's what we'll have to do to help the players out, put them in the best position to be successful. But I'd like for that to improve as we get going, too. Just less pressure, less bringing five or more."

In the leadup to the team's Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, Ulbrich's message was different and a clear sign of the progress his defense has made so far.

"We've got a group of guys that want to rush together, which in this day and age is fairly unique; I know that sounds crazy. Four rushing as one, it's hard to find that on a team nowadays," Ulbrich said. "Because you have so many guys out there across the league that are mercenary mindsets. They're out there to get their sacks, their production, their pass rush. And they're not necessarily worried about creating for the man next to them, about running games with cohesion as one, creating for you, you create for me.

"We have that type of group, four guys that are completely unselfish, that want the guy next to them to win just as much as they want to win. So, in that, we're going to find some really- we can find consistent pass rush. It's going to look a little different than maybe it has in the past, but it's still going to be super effective in my opinion."'

Those four guys include a few newcomers on the outside.

Atlanta signed defensive ends Cameron Thomas and Samson Ebukam in free agency and added Za'Darius Smith during the preseason after the veteran pass rusher came out of retirement. Smith leads the Falcons with 2.5 sacks, and Thomas is just behind him with 1.5 of his own.

"He's got a great combination of size, length, power, speed, but he also plays really, really hard," Stefanski said of Thomas. I think that's one thing that you cannot teach is just effort and the will to play each play through the whistle."

Atlanta's front has a workmanlike, determined mindset, and it's fueling the style Ulbrich desires. To create a connected pass rush on the field, the line has become a connected group off of it.

Za’Darius Smith has led in that area. The three-time Pro Bowler, in the midst of his 12^th NFL season, has embraced his new teammates and invited the entire defense over to watch Thursday night football earlier this season. He provided food for the group, had the pool table set up and allowed relationships to strengthen away from the rigors of the field.

"I feel like when guys come together outside of football and have that team camaraderie, you get to know one another better," Smith said. "And when you guys are tight on the field, you know exactly what that guy's going to give, and what I'm going to give because I know my guy is tired. So basically, just building that relationship. It has stuck with me for a long time, and I'm going to keep it going and hopefully I can pass it down to the younger guys, and they can do it once I'm done with football."

The importance of chemistry is something Smith learned early in his career from some of the league's very best. Playing in Baltimore from 2015-18, Smith saw firsthand how players like Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Eric Weddle and C.J. Moseley prioritized team bonding and the impact it had on the collective result.

He's sought to carry that forward in his own career as a way to honor their efforts and teach those around him what it means to truly be a team. The group in Atlanta has been highly receptive to his approach so far.

"The camaraderie that we have between the two rooms is unbelievable," Thomas said. "We do a ton of stuff outside of the building to continue to work on that connection."

From weekly D-line dinners to trips to the shooting range, Thomas has felt genuine bonds forming. London, who first arrived in Atlanta in 2023, has also noticed a different level of affinity.

"We're more connected in a way," London said. "We do things together, whether it's here or outside of the building. With everything, we're on the same page with stuff—communication and knowing all the little details. But, first of all, getting to know each other outside of the football stuff, I think that's the main part."

Few would have predicted these early returns for Atlanta's pass rush in the aftermath of Jalon Walker's season-ending injury in training camp and James Pearce Jr.'s eight-game suspension. The loss of the two first-round picks, who played big roles in Atlanta's record-setting sack production last season, could have easily set the Falcons' defense back.

Instead, the group is developing a new identity, one that creates the four-man attack Ulbrich seeks. So far, the results are speaking for themselves.

"I really believe great defenses are [run] by the players and the guys that cross the white line," Ulbrich said. And I believe it becomes even more powerful when they know it's them doing it. When I all of a sudden become the puppet master, and I want to control everything, that's me trying to put myself into the game. … But if I feel the rush humming, I'm not messing with it. I'm going to let the cover guys cover and I'm going to let the rush guys rush. But yeah, I have been happy with it."