Falcons 'Fired Up' About Young Pass Rusher's Development

Arnold Ebiketie reads the comments.

The Atlanta Falcons' third-year outside linebacker knows all about the public discourse surrounding the struggles of his team's pass rush, which has an NFL-low nine sacks.

But Ebiketie, who recognizes the unit's collective need to be better, is also cognizant of the ceiling Atlanta's pass rush can reach -- one he's an important part of fulfilling.

And in Atlanta's season-best three-sack performance against quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, it's no coincidence Ebiketie had his best game of the year, collecting his first sack and three quarterback hits in a 27-21 victory.

"Energy, effort, his ability to get off the ball, his ability to turn around off the stack," Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday on the makings of Ebiketie's standout game. "Dak was mobile -- his ability to chase him down, his ability to come out of the stack and chase down check downs."

Atlanta hit Prescott seven times, and Morris noted when the pass rush comes, the ball comes out faster. As such, Prescott -- and, for a quarter, backup Cooper Rush -- were forced to throw underneath.

"That allowed AK to really show his athleticism and run after people and get people on the ground, whether it be behind the line of scrimmage or in front of the line of scrimmage," Morris said.

Ebiketie played a season-high 54 defensive snaps, which was 70% of Atlanta's total. He matched a season-high with five tackles while adding one tackle for loss.

It marked an encouraging step for the 25-year-old Ebiketie, who said Wednesday he feels he's grown in all facets but especially as a run defender since arriving in Atlanta as a second-round pick in 2022.

Ebiketie's pursuit of achieving a well-rounded skill set appeared stalled through the season's first-five games, a spell capped by playing a season-low 15 snaps and failing to record any statistics the Falcons' 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 3.

But in the four games since, Ebiketie has played at least 30 snaps in each while accumulating 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, five quarterback hits and three hurries.

The 6'2", 250-pound Ebiketie has looked much more like the ascending player who had six sacks and 12 quarterback hits in 2023 -- and Morris is pleased with the progress he's made over the past month.

"I'm really fired up about where he's going in his development as an Atlanta Falcon," Morris said.

Morris noted Ebiketie had some plays he'd like back against the Cowboys, including one where he failed to finish a sack and watched as Dallas scored a touchdown as a result.

But it presented a learning experience Morris wants Ebiketie to embrace. Thus far, he has.

"I definitely like the progress he made and where he was going in his attempts to go out there," Morris said.

Ebiketie's growth has come in a variety of ways, but Morris feels the most significant area is in his mental awareness.

When Morris took over as the Falcons' head coach in late January, he said Ebiketie would occasionally align offsides because he didn't know where the ball was. He was excited and eager to make plays but lacked refinement.

Now, Ebiketie's found his stride in defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's 2-4-5 defense, a change from the 4-3 his predecessor, Ryan Nielsen, deployed. It's the third new system Ebiketie's learned in as many professional seasons.

Lake's scheme may have taken Ebiketie a longer time to understand, but he's turned a corner since Week 6.

"I've seen his attention to detail really grasp and start to gain some of those interests," Morris said. "His ability to drop, his ability to show as a rusher, his ability to be an athlete in space, all of those things -- his ability to run games with certain people that he's running with.

Comfort is another important area of ascension, as Morris noted Ebiketie has grown accustomed to defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata and their respective roles in Lake's defense.

And for Ebiketie, as his comfort not only in the system but with those around him has increased, so too has his -- and Atlanta's -- pass rush productivity.

Now, the Falcons (6-3) have their sights set on carrying momentum to New Orleans, where they'll take on the Saints (2-7) at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Caesars Superdome.