FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons signed defensive end Cameron Sample on Monday, adding depth at edge rusher less than one week after Jalon Walker’s season-ending knee injury.The Falcons announced the signing before Sample participated in Monday’s practice in full pads.Sample, 26, is a native of Snellville, Ga., near Atlanta. He was a fourth-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2021 and signed a one-year deal with San Francisco on April 13 before he was released last week.Sample had 85 tackles and seven sacks in four seasons with the Bengals. He missed the 2024 season with an Achilles tendon injury. He returned to start in two of 14 games with Cincinnati last season and had 17 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.Walker was one of the team’s two edge rushers selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. Adding to the uncertainty at edge rusher is the possibility the NFL could impose discipline on the other 2025 first-rounder, James Pearce Jr., the team’s sacks leader as a rookie.
Pearce faced three felony charges stemming from what police called a domestic dispute on Feb. 7 with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson, near Miami.On April 23, one of Pearce’s attorneys, Jacob Nunez, said Pearce agreed to enter a six-month pretrial intervention program which would allow him to resolve the felony charges.
