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WR Jones Sidelined, K Bryant Returns to Practice

The Falcons are already in preparation for their upcoming Thursday night match up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Georgia Dome. Take a look at these photos from practice.

After missing the last two exhibition games with a hamstring injury, Matt Bryant returned to practice on Sunday and kicked well, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Now that he's back in action, the 41-year-old will compete with fellow veteran Shayne Graham for Atlanta's kicking job.

Graham, 38, provided much-needed stability last season when Bryant went down, making 11 of 13 field goal attempts in five appearances. He looked sharp last Thursday, as well, converting on both FG opportunities against Miami — one of which sailed through the uprights from 53 yards out.

"We knew Shayne could kick well, and we brought him back in here, we know him, we trust him and he's looked great," Quinn said after practice. "And it was great to see Matt today kick and seeing that he's healthy. And that was really the thing: to see, is Matt healthy enough to participate and do his thing like he can? So it was good to see him kick today."

The decision on who to keep will be tough to make. But ultimately, regardless of how this battle shakes out, Quinn feels confident he'll have a place kicker he can depend on.

"The good news is, both those men have proven they're able to (be reliable)," Quinn said. "That's the good news for us, that the candidate that we choose to go with is one that is totally trustworthy. Both of these guys are NFL ballplayers. They've proven it, both here and elsewhere."

In addition to Bryant, Terron Ward (ankle), Kemal Ishmael (shoulder) and Justin Hardy (ankle) returned to practice. Keanu Neal (knee), Julio Jones (ankle), Adrian Clayborn (shoulder), Brandon Wilds (knee), Dwight Freeney (back) and Devin Fuller (shoulder) did not participate.

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