FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons outside linebacker room is largely unproven but ready to be tested.
The position group consists of five players: Lorenzo Carter, who is the elder statesmen in his seventh season, third-year players Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone, Bradlee Anae, who enters Year 2, and rookie Bralen Trice. They are led by first-year position coach Jacquies Smith, and although they are a young group, Atlanta's rushers are itching to prove any doubters wrong.
"When we do get a chance to show the world maybe they might have a different tune of what they've been saying," Smith said. "We can't talk about it with our mouths, we'll get that chance to be able to prove it on the field."
Last season veteran linebacker Bud Dupree led Atlanta with 6.5 sacks. Dupree played and started 16 games and was on the field for 68% of the team's defensive snaps. However, Dupree signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. It's now time for the young guys to step up on the outside.
Hopes are particularly high for Ebiketie to reach that new level in his third season. The former second-round draft pick played all 17 games while starting six in 2023. He recorded 25 tackles, six sacks and 12 quarterback hits — all while only playing 34% of defensive snaps.
"(Ebiketie's) in those years now where you expect the game to kind of slow down for him," Smith said. "... I think you obviously see the potential there."
Ebiketie agreed with that sentiment, sharing that there is a different level of comfort and familiarity as he prepares for his third training camp.
"The older you get in the league, everything is starting to slow down and it will look a bit differently," Ebiketie said. "I definitely think that I have a routine in place going into my third year compared to my first year."
Trice is about to receive his first lesson in what a training camp routine looks like. Atlanta drafted Trice in the third round in April. Trice's explosiveness jumped out on tape – he led all FBS players in pressures the last two seasons – and it's already been apparent in his short time on field with the Falcons. Trice was also voted a team captain and viewed as a key leader for the defense; the Falcons are quickly seeing why.
"He's a football junkie. He loves it, he breathes it, he always wants to be around it," Smith said. "That's a welcome sight to see for a rookie who wants to soak up everything like a sponge."
Despite the Falcons' youth at outside linebacker, Smith likes what he's seen so far. It's a group that will face scrutiny this fall after Atlanta did not acquire a big-name veteran or use its first pick in the draft at the position, but there is plenty of belief that this is a unit on the rise.
"I'm very confident in the group that we got," Smith said. "I'm very confident in the way that they work. To me, hard work always pays off. Those guys are working their tails off."
Smith also sees a chance for his group to flourish under new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's scheme. Lake will utilize a 3-4 base defense with four linebackers allowing for more rushing opportunities for the guys outside.
Atlanta's defense finished with 42 sacks last season, which ranked No. 21 in the league. The outside linebackers contributed 15.5 sacks to that total last season with Dupree, Ebiketie and Carter. Those 42 sacks were the most for any Falcons defense since 2004, and they're eager to outdo that marker in 2024 – starting with the edge rushers.
"The potential is growing and the pressure is mounting for us to get more," Smith said. "We see it, now we want more."
