FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Players returned to practice on a foggy Friday morning after an off day Thursday.

It was the eighth session of Atlanta Falcons AT&T Training Camp and featured a lengthy period of 1-on-1s, a short-yardage situational period before concluding with goal-line work.

Players in the trenches competed intensely throughout the afternoon, and the running backs got plenty of action. The focus was clearly on working through important tight-quarters plays as installs continue in earnest this time of year. Friday's practice also provided another look at how the Falcons are moving forward without second-year linebacker Jalon Walker, who was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

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Head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke for the first time since Walker's injury on Tuesday and explained how they are going about creating a plan to account for his absence.

"Obviously, injuries are the worst part of our game," Stefanski said. "Nobody likes them. I don't like them. Players don't like them. But we also recognize they are part of the game. So, to see Jalon go down, disappointing and frustrating for him.

"But I know what he's made of. He will bounce back. He's got the right attitude. So, disappointed, but he will be back. In the interim, like any injury with any player or a player being unavailable for any reason, we just got to make sure that we have a plan defensively to move guys around and those types of things. And we will work through that over the course of the next days and weeks."

On a positive note, running back Bijan Robinson logged some action in full-team periods for the first time after a brief acclimation period earlier in the week. It was the most Robinson has been involved in a practice, and he should continue to be a regular part of training camp after signing a new contract on Tuesday.

Fittingly, Robinson was responsible for perhaps the highlight of the day. In his first series of 11-on-11 in camp, Robinson ran a wheel route down the left sideline that the defense simply couldn't keep up with. He had a couple of steps on the nearest defender, allowing Tua Tagovailoa plenty of space to drop the ball into Robinson's arms for what would have been a touchdown in live action. It took no time at all for Robinson to create fireworks.

Perhaps Drake London phrased it best after practice when he said, "It's fun to have a superhero back there."

Notes and observations from practice

Another live-tackling period: Stefanski has introduced a new wrinkle to this year's training camp: Live-tackling periods. Typically, camp practices are filled with the sounds of cicadas and coaches yelling "stay up!" This week, however, as the pads came on, the Falcons started going down to the ground. There was a period during Wednesday's practice that featured tackling, and another on one Friday during what looked like a series of short-yardage plays.

It's the first time many players on the Falcons roster have experienced live tackling during a training camp practice in Atlanta, but wide receiver Drake London said he appreciated the ability to start getting accustomed to the level of physicality on Sundays. Before practice began, Stefanski explained his logic behind tackling in training camp.

"I've done it over the years," he said. "Shoot, my first NFL practice, 2005 up at Lehigh University, Andy Reid practice. First day, there's Brian Dawkins tackling Brian Westbrook. On the first day of practice. So, I know how it's been over the years. I also know the rules and what they are, and I respect them, and we will always do what is safe for our players. We will never do something that's unsafe. I think there's a way to work hard. I think there's a way to work smart. And I think there's a way to practice live because that's what the game is, and I think there's a way to do it safely, and I think you saw that the other day. We'll continue to do that throughout this camp. I think the guys understand how to do that the right way. You're still not taking a 'shot' on one of your teammates. You wouldn't take a cheap shot type of thing. But, like I've said before, to get ready to play football, you have to play football."

Creative short-yardage concepts: This time of year provides an excellent chance for offensive coordinators across the league to get creative. We saw some of that creativity during Friday's practice, particularly in the short-yardage and red-zone periods. Atlanta had some unique personnel groupings, including lining up both Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. in the backfield together, that allowed for some deception and put players in positions of strength. Through the air, the route combinations were deployed in a way that sought to create confusion in tight quarters. Late in the period, one design led to a touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Olamide Zaccheaus. On the play, Tagovailoa worked through his progressions before finding Zaccheaus on a delayed dig in the back of the end zone.

Jessie Bates III misses third practice: Atlanta's playmaking safety missed his third straight practice on Friday after watching from the sidelines during the sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Stefanski was asked about Bates' status prior to the practice and said, "Jessie's dealing with a minor back thing that he's working through, not long term."

Competitive day in the trenches: As could be expected on a day that included a lot of close-quarters action, the offensive and defensive lines got a lot of serious work in. There was no clear winner between the offense and defense, and both units had their respective highlights. The 11-on-11 action was foreshadowed by an early 1-on-1 drill between the offensive and defensive lines that lasted for quite some time. Here is some of what I saw during that drill*:

• Left tackle Jake Matthews had a calm, confident rep against defensive end Samson Ebukam, who has had a strong training camp so far.
• Interior lineman Corey Levin smothered a bull rush from defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu and held his ground.
• Defensive end Keshawn Banks won his rep against offensive tackle Wanya Morris.
• Edge defender Bralen Trice had one of the best reps of the period against tackle Brandon Walton. Trice dipped low underneath Walton's outstretched arms and somehow maintained his balance through a sharp turn around the edge. It was a very impressive rush from Trice, who has looked good in practice.
• Defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell won his rep against rookie guard Kam Dewberry.
• Rookie center James Brockermeyer had a good rep to stall another power rush from Tuipulotu.
• Defensive lineman Chris Williams beat offensive tackle Andrew Steuber on a rep.
• Rookie offensive tackle Riley Mahlman won a rep against Banks.
• Rookie offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa impressively held his ground against James Pearce Jr. and used his size to slow him down. Pearce did have a nice win earlier in the period by using a speed move against right tackle Michael Jerrell.
• Offensive guard Chris Lindstrom expertly gained leverage against defensive lineman Maason Smith and held the bigger defender at bay.
• Smith recovered nicely from that rep, though, and scored a win against Ryan Neuzil a bit later on.

*Wins and losses are subjective

Coaching clinic courtesy of Callahan: I spent the first 15 minutes of Friday's practice closely watching Bill Callahan work with the offensive linemen. Specifically, he and assistant line coach Nick Jones were working the centers and guards through a kickout drill and then a wrap drill. The first is meant to simulate what a lineman would experience when pulling to kick out a defender on a trap block or a split-zone play, and the emphasis was on keeping inside leverage to force an opponent upfield away from the play. The second drill gives players a feel for pulling and wrapping around a down blocker on a power or counter play. Callahan led the drill with high energy and had either words of encouragement or a coaching point after each rep. Those coaching points didn't just extend to the player conducting the rep, however. One moment that illustrated Callahan's attention to detail involved Matthew Bergeron as a pad holder. After a rep, Callahan told Bergeron, "I need that pad firmer," and explained how it was important to provide an accurate simulation for the blocker.

Harold Perkins Jr. earning more reps: Stefanski spoke before practice about the rookie linebacker's development, saying he's earning more reps on the field. The versatility Perkins possesses makes him a player suited for multiple roles, and it seems the coaching staff has felt comfortable putting more on his plate this week. Not only did he end his first week of camp by earning his first snaps alongside starting inside linebacker Divine Deablo, but he has begun to move around the formation a bit more in the wake of Walker's injury. On Friday, Perkins was taking snaps with the starting unit and lined up off the left edge at times. He was also sent on an A-gap blitz as the mug defender during an 11-on-11 period where the offense was backed up against its own end zone. Perkins has impressed thus far and seems to be gaining the staff's trust.

A few offensive highlights to call out: While Robinson's long touchdown was the standout play of the day for the offense, it wasn't the only highlight of the morning. Rookie wide receiver Keelan Marion had a nice sliding catch for a touchdown on a ball from Michael Penix Jr. during a red-zone 7-on-7 period. Jahan Dotson continues to show impressive separation abilities and won free against cornerback Cobee Bryant on an intermediate route to catch the pass from Tagovailoa. Rookie receiver Vinny Anthony II had a diving grab on the right sideline during the session when the offense was backed up in its own end zone. Rookie running back Cash Jones was active on Friday as well and showed off his speed on a red-zone run to the left side, where he went untouched into the end zone. He was also effective as a receiver in the flat and gained some nice yardage after the catch on a play-action pass where cornerback Darren Hall came on the blitz. The last play worth mentioning involved some playful extracurriculars between two rookies. After a run by Jones had been called dead, cornerback Avieon Terrell snuck around behind him and punched the ball out of his arms and up into the air. Jones quickly reacted by trying to grab the ball on the fly, and he and Terrell had a quick little battle for the football. Ultimately, Jones was the one who corralled it, but Terrell continues to show why he set the all-time Clemson record for forced fumbles.