Five Falcons Who Could Earn First Pro Bowl Nod in 2026

The Atlanta Falcons are kicking off training camp in a matter of days, meaning the 2026 NFL season is nearly upon us. As the countdown to Week 1 gets shorter, it is a good time to look ahead to what this team is capable of this season.

As a team, the Falcons will look to snap an eight-year playoff drought. They have come excruciatingly close over several seasons, but have fallen just short every time. Even if that achievement does not come this year, several individual milestones could be on the horizon for prominent players.

Today, we look at which Falcons could pick up the first Pro Bowl nod of their career.

Cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr.

As one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks, it is a bit surprising that A.J. Terrell has not garnered a Pro Bowl nod to this point in his career. Despite that fact, he has been one of the more consistent players at his position, and it was enough to net him an All-Pro selection in 2021. Terrell has been as steady as they come over his six-year career. Over 93 games, the corner has 381 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, six interceptions, 61 pass breakups, and six forced fumbles.

Last season was among his better ones, and he allowed the second-lowest quarterback rating (87.8) and completion percentage (53.1%) of his career. Unfortunately, the interceptions have continued to be Terrell’s pitfall. Five of his six career picks have come in three seasons, and he has just two (both in 2024) over his last 63 games.

If he can get his hands on the football a few times this season, he has built up enough pedigree to garner some attention from voters.

Linebacker Divine Deablo

After the exodus of players from the front-seven, the Falcons will be leaning on Divine Deablo to be the face of the unit. He will wear the green dot for the defense and be looked to for leadership this season. When healthy, Deablo was the linchpin of the unit and made an impact all over the field – he recorded 73 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, and defended seven passes.

His impact was most felt over his five-game absence (including the 49ers game that he left early), when the Falcons finished 0-5.

But that is the key factor for him this season. Injuries have held him back over the last four years, and the linebacker has missed 18 games (26%). The Falcons need him to stay on the field, and that could be enough to get him more attention on the national stage.

Wide Receiver Drake London

Drake London recently signed a lucrative extension, and for good reason. The Falcons took him eighth overall in 2022, and he has been their top wideout ever since.

He was solid over his first two years with the franchise, but exploded in 2024 with 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. That output continued into 2025, when he tallied 60 catches for 810 yards and six touchdowns over his first nine games. His season was then derailed by a PCL injury in Week 11, but he will return to full health in 2026.

London's combination of size, contested-catch ability, and red-zone production makes him one of the NFC's most difficult matchups. He will continue to get plenty of targets from whoever wins the quarterback competition. If he stays healthy, then his increasing notoriety will land him on his first Pro Bowl roster.

Safety Xavier Watts

Xavier Watts burst onto the scene as a rookie, tallying the second-most interceptions in the NFL (five), while adding 96 tackles and finishing fourth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year vote. Playing alongside an All-Pro in Jessie Bates III helped him take that leap right away, but the Falcons believe there is another level to Watts’ game.

He was a noted ball hawk at Notre Dame, recording 13 interceptions over his final two years in college. If he replicates his rookie production, Watts will soon garner plenty of national attention.

Edge Jalon Walker

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is a lot of anticipation for year two of Jalon Walker. Last season, the pass rusher battled some soft tissue injuries, but still managed to finish second in sacks among rookies (5.5) and was one of the defense’s top run defenders. He also added five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, nine quarterback hits, and 36 tackles over 15 games.

Walker’s blend of power and speed made him a first-round pick, and it will make him a versatile piece for this defense for the next several years. He showed some flashes of that dominant play as a rookie, but 2026 could be an important one for him. If he takes the leap that Jeff Ulbrich and the Falcons expect him to this season, then Walker could become one of the NFC's most recognizable young pass rushers.

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