FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The NFL offseason is slowly but surely progressing, and the Atlanta Falcons are moving right along with it.
Monday marked the start of phase III of organized team activities (OTAs), which means participants are now permitted to wear helmets on the field, although they still cannot wear any true padding. Phase III also allows offensive and defensive players to compete in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, but live contact is not allowed.
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The uptick in action on the field naturally invites questions about those who remain off of it. Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked Tuesday for an update on Bralen Trice, Troy Andersen and Billy Bowman Jr. as they continue to work through injury rehab. And while he didn't mention specifics on any individual player, Stefanski said he likes the progress they've made thus far.
"Everybody is doing really well," he said. "They're all in different stages of what they can do and when. You'll see some guys, when we go to individual, go off to the side and do some individual work. Everybody is on a good timeline. I'm very pleased with how they're working."
Among the three, Bowman has most recently suited up for Atlanta. A fourth-round pick by the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft, Bowman won the starting nickel job in his first training camp and made a quick impact on the defense. He recorded a half-sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 and secured his first career interception on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 2.
Bowman played in the first four games before missing an extended period of time with a hamstring injury. He returned in Week 10 and suited up for the Falcons' game against the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin, Germany, and played the following week against Carolina, notching his first career solo sack. However, before the team’s Week 12 game, Bowman sustained an Achilles injury that required surgery and set him on his current recovery path.
Trice and Andersen did not play at all for the Falcons in 2025 after suffering injuries the year prior. A third-round pick in 2024, Trice tore his ACL in the Falcons' preseason opener in Miami and missed the entirety of his rookie year. Andersen sustained a knee injury in Week 4 of the 2024 season that caused him to miss five straight games. He attempted to return later in the year and ultimately played in three more contests before going on injured reserve in Week 15.
Atlanta's defense has changed quite a bit since Trice and Andersen last played a down, but both had shown flashes of high-caliber play and could contribute to Jeff Ulbrich's unit.
Although the three defenders weren't on the field during Tuesday's practice, another notable player working his way back from injury was. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was involved in everything under the hot Georgia sun except the full 11-on-11 team periods.
Penix partially tore his ACL in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers last season, and many wondered at the time whether he'd be ready for the start of the 2026 season. On the field Tuesday, Penix looked comfortable moving around and doing everything asked of him. He's still not in the clear yet, but the Falcons have asked him to remain focused on getting back to full health, and it seems he's taken that to heart.
"Mike's been doing a very good job," Stefanski said. "As I've told you guys since the beginning, his main focus is getting healthy. And he's doing that. Now, with that, he's able to do more and more football at the direction of our medical staff; we've been working hand in hand with what that looks like. So, you will see Mike out there in individual, you will see him in the 7-on-7 (periods). He's not doing team periods yet, but that time is coming."
