The Atlanta Falcons may have failed to snap their playoff drought last season, but they took major strides under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich (and former head coach Raheem Morris). Ulbrich did such an impressive job of turning around Atlanta's pass rush that he was retained by new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.

After all, why mess with a good thing? The Falcons recorded a franchise record 57 sacks just one season after finishing 31st in the NFL with 31 total. The team's rookie duo of James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker combined for 16 of those sacks, plus third-round pick Xavier Watts led all rookies with five interceptions.

Plus, we can't overlook the veteran playmakers on the back end of the Falcons defense. Safety Jessie Bates III and cornerback A.J. Terrell are some of the team's top earners for a reason. The veteran defensive backs will once again look to lead the secondary, a unit which now includes Terrell's younger brother, Avieon.

On Friday, we looked at the team's 10 highest-paid offensive players for this upcoming season. To follow that up, here are the team's 10 highest salary cap hits on defense in 2026.

Falcons 10 highest salary cap hits on defense

1. Jessie Bates: $24,770,000

2. A.J. Terrell: $13,500,000

5. Jalon Walker: $4,673,266

7. James Pearce: $3,813,360

9. Da'Shawn Hand: $3,000,000

10. After Bates and Terrell, linebacker Divine Deablo is firmly in third place with a cap hit of $8.9 million this season. Veteran cornerback Mike Hughes is fourth on the team with a $5.4 million cap hit. Nobody else on the Falcons defense makes more than $5 million in 2026.

    AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

    Walker ($4.6 million) is fourth, and Pearce ($3.8 million) is seventh. Defensive linemen Cameron Thomas and Da'Shawn Hand will each make around $3 million, while and LaCale London rounds out the top 10 at around $2.7 million.

    The Falcons are paying considerably more money to their offense this season. Four players -- Chris Lindstrom, Drake London, Jake Matthews and Kyle Pitts -- will make over $15 million this season. Plus, nine offensive players will make at least $5 million in 2026.

    Atlanta will return for more offseason activities next week.

    This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: 10 highest-paid defensive players in 2026

    Divine Deablo: $8,920,000

Mike Hughes: $5,466,666

Clark Phillips III: $3,867,383

Cameron Thomas: $3,095,000

LaCale London: $2,691,177