FILE - Atlanta Falcons edge rushers James Pearce Jr.,(27) and Jalon Walker (11) run drills during the NFL football team's rookie minicamp, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, file)

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — After missing much of the first week of training camp with a minor hamstring injury, Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Jalon Walker returned to practice on Monday.

Walker said he hopes to play in Friday night's first preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

“I feel good,” Walker said. “I’m feeling so happy to be back out here. Happy for the week. It’s a big week of this first preseason game and excited to get things going."

The Falcons selected Walker from Georgia with the No. 15 overall pick in the draft. Walker won the 2024 Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and has the potential to play a hybrid role in the NFL as a linebacker and edge rusher.

For now, the Falcons want Walker to focus on edge rusher but plan to utilize his versatility. Coach Raheem Morris said Monday the opportunities at linebacker will come “pretty quickly, you know, as soon as he gets more comfortable out there moving around.”

Morris said Walker (6-2, 245) is “already starting to pick some of those things up, cross training on some of those things already. He’s very smart, very sharp, very detailed guy. So nothing you worry about from that standpoint. But I just want to give him a chance to be comfortable doing something first, see that happen, come to life.”

Morris said the Falcons were careful to protect Walker from aggravating the injury last week even though the rookie was impatient to join his teammates. The caution continued on Monday as Walker's exposure to practice was limited.

After drafting Walker, the Falcons traded with the Los Angeles Rams to add Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26.

Penix, Cousins to sit out preseason opener

Morris said starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and backup Kirk Cousins will not play in the preseason opener against Detroit. Easton Stick and Emory Jones will share the snaps.

Penix said he might be considered for preseason games if not for his starts in the final three games of his 2024 rookie season.

“He feels confident in what I can do on game day,” said Penix of Morris. “So he didn’t feel like I needed to play this week. I’m going to be ready Week 1.”

Morris said other decisions will be made following the team's scrimmage on Wednesday.

Morris takes a tumble

Morris lined up as a defensive back against wide receiver Drake London during practice. The coach didn't fare well, as he was pushed back and landed on his backside.

Penix, who threw the pass to London on the play, paused when asked about Morris as a player.

“He’s a coach now,” Penix said with a smile. “He’s got to leave the DB stuff back from when he was playing.”

Pearce lands in another scuffle

Pearce continued to build on his reputation for aggressive play by landing in another practice scuffle, this time with offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. The rookie had encounters with right tackle Kaleb McGary and right guard Matthew Bergeron last week.

“It’s just the competitor in him,” said Walker of Pearce. “You get after it. And like I said, we’ve got that one speed and once we click it on, it’s on.”

Asked about Pearce's early impact in practice, Penix said “I notice his love for the game. He works extremely hard each and every day. ... Whatever happens after the play, we definitely want to clean that stuff up. But at the same time he’s a competitor and he wants to compete at a high level. That’s what he does each and every day and that’s what we appreciate and that’s what we’re going to love come game day.”

Contract extension for McGary

McGary agreed to a two-year, $30 million extension, according to his agent, Collin Roberts. The deal was first reported by ESPN.

McGary, a first-round pick in 2019, has started 92 of 93 games in six seasons.

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