FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Summer is finally, officially here, y'all! Even as I sit in my office at the facility on this fine Thursday, its quiet. Majority of the players and coaches have cleared out for their dead period until training camp begins in late July. I almost feel like a kid in summer school: Hanging in a classroom doing school work while all the other kids are at the pool enjoying their summer break.
But hey, no complaints here. I get to talk to y'all! You're in the classroom with me, asking questions as I am. Speaking of which, submit those here.
Anywho, with so much of mandatory minicamp being a glorified jog through instead of full-blown practices, there wasn't a lot of new information gleaned this week. (Outside of the obvious, of course, from Kirk Cousins). Still, that doesn't mean you don't have questions. You do. And I am here to answer them.
Tim T. from Buford, Georgia
Tori, I was watching The Insiders the other day and saw where Steve Wyche said Darnell Mooney and his connection with Michael Penix Jr. is something to watch. Do you agree? Does that match with what you have seen at practice?
I absolutely agree with what Steve said. If you have been listening to me on our podcast network over the last year, you know how high I've been on Mooney. Heck, when we did our preseason predictions last year, Mooney was a player I tried to tell everyone could be a sneaky good fantasy pick up in 2024. I am glad that prediction panned out, but I am even more pleased with the trajectory Mooney is on this year.
Another year in Zac Robinson's systems — probably with a few more wrinkles that we maybe didn't see last year — along with Penix's downfield arm strength could be money for Mooney.
Which I will say it is funny to me to potentially be talking about Mooney having a breakout year when he nearly surpassed 1,000 yards receiving last year. But hey, I am here for the Mooney talk! And honestly, it's probably warranted. After all, this is what wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard said at the beginning of the spring: "We're going to lean on him a lot more than we did last year and see where that goes."
Mike P. from Atlanta, Georgia
Hey Tori, what do players do from the end of minicamp to the start of training camp? Do they just go on vacation or are they working out?
Well, Mike, they're off!
Notoriously, a lot of them usually use the last little bit of June to take their last bits of vacation, maybe get some travel in or just simply spend some down time with their families. Then, usually after fourth of July weekend, they'll start back up with their trainers. They'll get back into their routines and hit the gym. A good chunk of guys train out in California, others stay in Atlanta and use the Falcons facilities. Regardless, though, they're all still working out throughout July to be ready to go when they report for training camp at the end of that month.
The Falcons player performance staff usually will send them all on their separate ways with goals to keep up with or plans to follow. This staff also builds connections with a lot of players own personal trainers they work with so everyone is on the same page. That's a big emphasis for John Griffin, who is the Falcons' director of player performance. He said he makes a point to talk through all of the plans he has for players with their coaches outside the building to make sure there is no confusion.
So, that's the next five weeks in a nutshell for you!
Nicolle S. from Nashville, Tennessee
Tori, I follow along with your training camp coverage every year so I am really looking forward to seeing what you have to say about this team once the pads go on in August. My question, though, is kind of what to expect when camp does start? What are some position battles you will be watching? (And therefore are position battles I will keep tabs on).
First off Nicolle, thanks for following along! Fans are welcomed back at training camp this year so if you can, come say hi in person!
But to answer your question, it's actually a pretty simple answer. The position battles — in my opinion at least — all stem from the addition of a rookie defensive player entering the fold.
So, think edge rusher, safety and nickel as the top three position battles.
Edge rusher is a bit more nuanced considering its such a heavy rotation. I would advice that instead of battles being waged for starting position, think play time and snap counts instead. How much will be see James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker rotating in? What packages are they apart of? That's my question more so than exactly who runs out there the first play of a game.
Safety and nickel are the more traditional battles in my mind.
At safety, how quickly does Xavier Watts push for a starting spot? Does Jordan Fuller have the ropes with Jessie Bates III early or do the Falcons want their third pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to get his feet wet sooner rather than later? What about DeMarcco Hellams? He returns from injury and is expected to be fully available by the start of camp — how does he fit back in?
Then, there's the three-man race at nickel. You have the starter of the last two seasons in Dee Alford returning, the coaching staff have seen fit to really hone Clark Phillips III into a slot role, plus they drafted a fiery Billy Bowman Jr. who will be in the mix, too. This one could go any which way, which is why I think it may be the most exciting battle of the three.
So, there you have it, Nicolle. There are three battles to look forward to right there!
