FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Jack Strand is learning just how unpredictable the NFL can be.

The night before the start of his first training camp practice, the undrafted rookie got a call from Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt informing him that he'd handle the vast majority of reps at quarterback during full-team drills the next day. With Tua Tagovailoa nursing a minor injury to start camp, Michael Penix Jr. not yet cleared for 11-on-11 work and Cooper Rush signed just before practice started, Strand found himself running with the starters on Day 1.

"I didn't think about it too much," Strand said after Thursday's practice. "I'm coming into training camp and everything just trying to take it day by day. Keep attacking every day. Keep getting better every day. Whether I'm getting a bunch of reps or I'm not getting as many reps. Whatever reps that I do get, whether it's in Indy, whether it's in RVA, whether it's in team, anything, I'm just going to try to attack those reps and try to keep getting with those. And then also from watching the guys around me."

Despite the unusual circumstances to start his training camp journey, Strand says his approach will not change. Tagovailoa returned to the field on Thursday for some light throwing during individual periods, and that alone could be a sign that Strand's turn with the starters in full-team periods is nearing its end. Therefore, it's wise for Strand to stay level-headed and not get swept away by the moment, but it's a good reminder that every player on an NFL roster needs to be ready at a moment's notice.

"This is the NFL," Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "You cannot predict what's coming. I don't have a crystal ball. I tell the coaches this every year: There's stuff coming that you can't predict, and you take it for what it is. You've got to trust in the people around you and understand that this is just how it goes."

A highly accomplished quarterback at Minnesota State-Moorhead, Strand finished his college career with the 10th-most passing yards in Division-II history. In 42 games, Strand threw for 13,161 yards with 126 touchdown passes. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Strand has an NFL-caliber arm and looks the part behind center.

Strand has already had quite the start to his professional journey, but there's a long preseason ahead and plenty more work to come. Throughout it all, the undrafted rookie out of a D-II school is focused on staying the course.

"That's something that I've been telling myself a ton: Be where your feet are. Enjoy the moment," Strand said. "Don't look in the past, don't dwell on any mistakes or any success that you might have had. Don't look to the future and wonder what's going to be happening in two weeks, in three weeks, in a couple of months or anything. Just be where your feet are."

Notes and observations from practice:

Like Wednesday, Thursday's practice was fairly brief, but there was a good bit of full-team action to focus on. Here's what I saw.

Tua Tagovailoa practices for first time: After missing the first practice of training camp with what head coach Kevin Stefanski described as a minor injury, Tagovailoa was back on the practice field tossing the ball around for Day 2. It was a light day of work for the veteran quarterback, who threw a handful of passes during individual drills and did nothing in the team periods. That he threw the ball at all should be taken as a positive sign and that he'll "be back shortly" as Stefanski put it Wednesday.

Rest day for Michael Penix Jr.: Penix was on the field and throwing for Day 1 of camp, although he has still yet to be cleared for participation in 11-on-11 periods. Thursday, however, was a scheduled rest day for the third-year quarterback, so he was not among the quarterbacks throwing in practice. No cause for concern on that front, though.

Position battle pecking orders: It's still too early in camp to determine where the true camp battles are taking place, but there are a few positions we were already keeping a close eye on coming into camp. Kind of like a tropical storm watch, if you will. On Thursday, I paid special attention to the wide receivers, cornerbacks, inside linebackers and running backs to get a baseline idea of the pecking order.

At receiver, Jahan Dotson is running with the starters as expected. The same can be said of Olamide Zaccheaus and Zachariah Branch, although they have been rotated in and out at a decent clip. Chris Blair and Dylan Drummond appear to be the next guys in the mix, which makes sense given their experience.

At cornerback, last year's starters on the outside remain in place so far with A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes getting the full-team work. Newcomer Sydney Brown has played nickel with the starters at times, and A.J. Woods was in that role as well on Thursday. Clark Phillips III and C.J. Henderson were the second-team corners with rookie Avieon Terrell joining the action after them. Darnay Holmes rotated into the slot after Brown and Woods.

At linebacker, two clear duos have emerged. Divine Deablo and Christian Harris have been running together as first-team linebackers since OTAs, and that's held true so far in camp. Behind them, rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. are building their chemistry in the middle of Atlanta's defense. Given the number of new faces at inside linebacker, it's a position group to watch throughout the preseason.

Finally, that brings us to running back. We know who the top two on the depth chart are at that position, so the main question becomes who, if anyone, is the third running back to start the season. Tyler Goodson, Nathan Carter and rookie Cash Jones are the candidates, and the rotation between all three has been healthy. It seems like anyone can grab this role, which should make for a compelling preseason from the running back room. Each player brings something different to the table as well, so it will be interesting to see which is best suited for this offense.

A good day for Cameron Thomas: In an offseason that featured a lot of roster moves, it feels as though Thomas has slipped through the cracks a bit. The former San Diego State standout could prove to be a quality pickup if he continues to play the way he did on Thursday. During the first 11-on-11 period of the practice, Thomas rotated in at the left end spot following the starters and gave the offensive line a lot to handle. He consistently pushed the line of scrimmage and flushed quarterback Jack Strand out of the pocket on a well-executed stunt with defensive tackle Chris Williams. The highlight of Thomas' day was a heads-up scoop-and-score on a fumble recovery — it was unclear exactly who fumbled on the play or how it was caused.

Rookie spotlight: There was one moment during the 11-on-11 period that pitted second-round pick Avieon Terrell against third-round pick Zachariah Branch. On the play, Branch went in motion across the offensive formation with Terrell trailing him in man coverage. At the snap, Branch cut back across Terrell's face to the inside, but the rookie corner was ready and smoothly transitioned his weight to break on the ball. The result was a clean pass breakup for Terrell, who showed why his short-area tenacity in coverage is a big asset.

Highlights from the action:

• After nearly securing an interception on a deep pass yesterday, cornerback C.J. Henderson redeemed himself Thursday with a smooth one-handed interception. The pass from Strand was behind his intended receiver, allowing Henderson to pivot and come away with his first takeaway of camp.
• Dotson made an early play in the full-team period that showed why he could be an excellent complement for the other weapons in this offense. Starting on the left side of the formation, Dotson ran a crosser route and quietly created separation against Mike Hughes to catch the ball over the middle with plenty of room to pick up yardage after the catch. That's been an area of the field Atlanta has been looking to attack more consistently in recent years, and Dotson could be a player who shines in that role.
• Strand made a really nice play that demonstrated his improvisational skills on Thursday. After feeling some pressure to his right, Strand stepped up and out of the pocket to roll to his right and buy time. He then located receiver Antwane Wells Jr. on the scramble drill downfield and made a nice pass on the run to hit him for a big play. Cornerback Clark Phillips III nearly broke up the pass with a diving attempt that showcased his body control, but he just missed the ball.
• Safety Jessie Bates III nearly came up with an interception of his own during a drill in the high red zone. The play looked to be a quick slant to Kyle Pitts, which was tightly covered by the cornerback. Seeing the coverage, Strand double-clutched the football before letting it rip in Pitts' direction. That moment of hesitation was all Bates needed, however, and he stepped right into the throwing lane.
• One of the most entertaining moments of the practice also came during that red-zone period. Drake London caught a pass just at the goal line and a mini scrum of defenders formed as London tried to push his way into the end zone. London seemingly broke the plane and then high-kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone in celebration.
• On his second day with the Falcons, Cooper Rush threw a nice pass to Blair at the left side of the end zone. It was the kind of throw that only the intended receiver would have a shot at securing, and Blair rewarded the throw with an even better catch. He laid out for the ball and managed to tap both feet down in bounds to score the touchdown.
• The day ended with push-ups from the offense. On a third-and-5 play that apparently carried bigger stakes than the rest, Strand connected with Jones on a checkdown pass out of the backfield. The rookie running back cut upfield but was ruled short of the first-down marker by about a yard, giving the offense an extra workout as the final horn sounded.