Falcons want no jabs, "all haymakers" from their defensive line

The Falcons defense has finished at or near the bottom of the league in sacks in three of the last four years and there are a couple of fronts to their plan to generate more pass rush in 2025.

They signed Leonard Floyd as a free agent and drafted Jalon Walker with the 15th overall pick before trading back into the first round to add James Pearce to their pass rushing mix. The move cost them their 2026 first-round pick and defensive line coach Nate Ollie cited one of the top heavyweights of all time when it came to explaining how the Falcons want the newcomers and returning players to approach their jobs this season.

“Everything that we’re trying to do now, it’s like we’re trying to be like Mike Tyson and throw haymakers,” Ollie said, via Ken Sugiata of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re getting off the ball, attacking, throwing haymakers. No jabs. It’s all haymakers — that’s what we’re trying to do.”

If the combination of new faces and new energy does the trick, the Falcons would be well positioned for a run at ending Tampa's run at the top of the NFC South.