From 'Bad Timing' with 49ers to 'Two Blessings in One' for New Falcons Edge

That Atlanta Falcons signed edge rusher Cameron Sample last week after he had previously signed with the San Francisco 49ers in April.

Edge rusher Cameron Sample took a detour to the San Francisco 49ers before coming to the Atlanta Falcons. | Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons invested heavily in the edge rusher position in 2025 with a pair of first-round draft picks spent on Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

The early returns were good as rookies, but Walker is out for the season after tearing his ACL in training camp, and Pearce is suspended for the first eight games of the season.

With Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie gone, the Falcons were always going to have a new look at the position, but they've added two players since training camp started. Za'Darius Smith was signed on Tuesday, and Cameron Sample signed last week.

For Sample, it was a bit of a homecoming. He went to Shiloh High School, roughly 30 miles east of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sample spent the first five years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals after they selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in April, but he was released two weeks ago.

"It was a blessing," Sample said of the opportunity to return home and play for the Falcons. "I had a little situation over in San Francisco, so my biggest thing was just getting to a team where I know I can contribute and help win games. So when it lined up, I'm coming back home. I mean, it's just two blessings in one."

Asked to expand on his release from the 49ers, Sample was candid with his response.

"You know, signed their free agency," Sample said. "Just bad timing with a slight injury, so we had to pivot, but God works in mysterious ways. Everything happened for a reason, so I'm where I'm supposed to be."

At 6'3 and 272 pounds, Sample brings more size to the position that was lacking in the spring, but is suddenly full of players over 270 pounds. What the Falcons may have lost in Walker and Pearce in passing situations, they may have gained in players like Sample and Smith on early downs to force more third-and-long situations.

Despite signing on Monday, August 10th, Sample played in Friday's preseason loss to the Denver Broncos. There weren't a lot of positives to take away from that showing, but Sample is pleased with how the team has responded since.

"Any time you strap up, you wanna get the win," Sample said. "So when you don't, you gotta go back, be honest with yourself, from coaches on down. I feel like we did that, and we're just intentional coming out, starting with energy. I feel like we did that today, came out and we're working in the right direction for sure."

The Falcons have joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday and Thursday before taking them on in preseason game two on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has said that starters won't play in the preseason game, but with no defined roles at edge, we can expect to see a heavy rotation, including Sample this week.

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