ATLANTA — We were in full preseason mode inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday night as the Atlanta Falcons hosted the Tennessee Titans after a week of joint practices.

Though a majority of the starters for Atlanta didn't take the field for game action, there was still much to learn about the players who make up this roster ... and, potentially, the 53-man version coming at the end of the month.

The Falcons have decisions to make, and wouldn't you know it, certain individuals made those decisions a bit more difficult with their play Friday. Who moved up the pecking order? Tori McElhaney shares her notes.

Movin' on up

Natrone Brooks

Brooks was going to make this list regardless of whether he made a big play Friday night or not. After continued pass breakups and sticky coverage in practices, Brooks is climbing his way up the 53-man roster quicker than just about anyone. Prior to the rib injury of Clark Phillips III, Brooks was staking his claim as a top contender at outside cornerback behind A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes as the starters. After solid play in last Friday's preseason game, Brooks actually got some run with the first-team defense during joint practices this week. The Falcons simulated Brooks being the first corner off the bench in the event something happened to Terrell or Hughes. Brooks got work opposite both.

If there's a player in line for third cornerback right now, it's Brooks. And he put an exclamation point on a good week with an interception in the second quarter of Friday's game. With James Pearce Jr. putting pressure on Brandon Allen from his blindside and Kentavius Street pushing the guard into Allen's lap, Brooks tracked a long ball, jumped in front of the intended receiver and returned the interception 33 yards.

David Sills V

No, Sills didn't get more than a series of work on the field Friday night, but that's precisely why he shows up on this part of the list. The receiver has been a training camp standout this preseason, and the recent work with the first-team offense throughout joint practices as either Drake London's sub or his counterpart in Atlanta's "big" receiver look has moved him further up the pecking order.

Could Atlanta carry seven receivers on their 53-man roster? Based on the fact they didn't want to give Sills too much playing time Friday, I'd say the chances are looking pretty good for Sills.

Nathan Carter

Carter may have taken it to the house on a 43-yard explosive to start the second half Friday night, but what he was doing before that point was just as notable. Despite the Falcons' struggles offensively in the first half, Carter was a bright spot. He actually had another explosive earlier in the evening prior to the touchdown run. It would have been a gain of about 30 yards, but it was called back because of a (questionable) holding penalty called on Dylan Drummond.

The breakaway speed displayed by Carter was on full display Friday night, making the decisions ahead for the Falcons even more difficult. Carlos Washington Jr. is working through a hamstring injury and hasn't practiced in over a week. He has missed both preseason games thus far. With limited spots open on the 53-man roster, missing time as a depth piece opens the door for others. And at running back, Carter is making his case.

Needs a shake-up

Offensive tackles

For the second week in a row, concerns for offensive line depth remain. Penalties plagued the offensive front early and halted any offensive momentum from gaining traction. Whether it was false starts by Elijah Wilkinson or holding penalties by Jack Nelson, the offensive tackles had their number called one too many times.

This was actually the first tackle reps Wilkinson has gotten in a preseason game this year. Last Friday, he took his reps from left guard, but moved to left tackle this Friday. One reason may be the Falcons trying to accumulate tackle depth. The Falcons' primary backup tackle has been Storm Norton. However, Norton has been injured throughout the majority of training camp and the preseason with what Raheem Morris said was a "lower body injury." On Aug. 13, Morris didn't have a timeline for Norton's return. Now, could the Falcons be overly cautious with Norton? Sure. But to not see him at all through the last few weeks? It's difficult to think that is actually the case. So, the Falcons need to cultivate depth at tackle, but the first half performance of Wilkinson and Nelson didn't instill too much confidence because of penalties and pressure off the edge.

All offseason the talking point about the offensive line involved the center position, namely who would be Ryan Neuzil's backup. And while that should still be a topic of conversation as rosters begin taking shape across the league in a couple weeks, the last couple preseason games has called into question the Falcons' tackle depth, too. Does it need a shake-up? And if so, what does that look like?

Easton Stick

I'll give it to Stick, he got control of the offense when given a little run in the second half. He made a couple big plays: A quarterback keeper that picked up some much-needed yards on the ground as well as a 52-yard pass to Chris Blair that he took in for a touchdown. Still, the offense's start left something to be desired and was in stark contrast to Stick's performance in the first half last Friday.

Stick had few — if any — glaring mistakes against the Lions. He made a couple amongst the Falcons' first half offensive struggles, though. One of which was an interception returned 53 yards for a Titans touchdown. Stick threw another interception while attempting to scramble a few drives later. Offsetting penalties erased the interception, however. Meaning Stick ended his evening going 19-of-32 through the air with 173 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, which isn't terrible by any means but the up-and-down nature of the Falcons' offensive performance weren't helped early with Stick's decisions that put the ball in the opponents' range. He did look more like he did last Friday night in the third quarter, though, so the shake-up needed here may not be as significant at all to the second-team offense line.