FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons held the first of two joint practices with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday.
In order to best cover all the action, Terrin Waack and Tori McElhaney from the Falcons' editorial team split up responsibilities. Waack had eyes on all the offensive action, and McElhaney was laser-focused on the defense. Observations from both will be shared below with a helpful reminder of who wrote what. But first, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris explained the benefits of joint practices to start the day, and it's good context to carry into the remainder of the camp report.
"These (days) are the ones I really love," Morris said. "Highly competitive days, going against a different color, going against different skillsets, different schemes, getting a chance to match up your guys with those guys. Real high level of energy, high physicality, assimilation of that game-like structure versus another team with really skillful players. Getting a chance to see this young quarterback that they have go out there and play against our defense, and get a chance to see some old faces whether it be Calvin Ridley, Sebastian Joseph-Day, those guys going against us on defense — I'm really fired up to go out and play against those kind of guys and fired up to see those guys play against us"
Injury updates: Before practice began, Morris also addressed recent absences of multiple players.
– Cornerback Clark Phillips III (rib): "Clark went down with a rib (injury) last week. He will be out (Tuesday) as well. He'll be day-to-day as we figure out what he's doing."
– Linebacker Caleb Johnson (personal): "We should get him back pretty quickly. He has good reasons why he's out, and I'll let him tell you when he gets back. It's nothing injury related."
– Running back Carlos Washington Jr. (hamstring): "He went down with a little hammy. He's been dealing with a bit of a hamstring issue. We hope to get him back soon."
– Wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder): "It's still the same. He's been out probably a week-and-a-half now and we're just kind of waiting and rolling. He will be on a week-to-week basis." … "I feel good about getting him back healthy and ready to go. When? We don't know."
– Defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham (unknown): Graham sustained a lower leg injury at the end of the one-on-one period. He was helped off the field by trainers before heading to the locker room. He did not participate in any 11-on-11 work thereafter.
Open practice count: 10 of 11 for fans | See all dates
Most notable player (offense): Casey Washington. The wide receiver continues to show he's worthy of a first-team spot in Darnell Mooney's absence and has really stepped up since given the opportunity. Washington caught both of his targets during 11-on-11 work against the Titans' starting defense. His first catch was a 52-yard touchdown in the first series. Washington beat Titans safety Armani Hooker on a deep corner route down the left side to collect a rather beautiful pass from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Washington's encore catch during the starting offense's second series was a completely different vibe. It was a short dart up the middle that was a little off target, but Washington snagged it with his quick hands nonetheless. (Waack)
Most notable player (defense): Natrone Books. We have known for a while that Brooks was making a case for himself to land on this 53-man roster, but Tuesday's joint practice solidified that further while also making the case that Brooks is actually the first outside corner off the bench behind A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes. For the first time in camp, Brooks worked with the first-team defense during an 11-on-11 period. He subbed in for both Terrell and Hughes at different points in time, simulating one going down with Brooks having to step in. (McElhaney)
Say what now (offense): "Jashaun Corbin, Nate Cater and Elijah Dotson. I think all of them are showing different signs and flashes of things they can do. It's ultimately who can be the most complete guy on all three days," said running backs coach Michael Pitre when asked about the competition for the third running back spot with Carlos Washington Jr. injured. (Waack)
Say what now (defense): "You can't have a million-dollar move with a $10 finish," said defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus. (McElhaney)
Song of the day: "Welcome to Atlanta" by Jermaine Dupri ft. Ludacris. This ended a practice in which the Falcons sent a message. It couldn't have been more perfect.
Roll call: The only unexpected absence Tuesday after Morris' morning injury update was cornerback Cobee Bryant. The undrafted free agent spent a brief stint on the Non-Football Injury list earlier in training camp but had since returned to practice. Bryant played 23 defensive snaps (48% of the unit's total) in last Friday's preseason game and was an active participant in Monday's practice.
Offensive observations (Waack):
– For the first time in training camp, the Falcons went through 7-on-7 drills. Head coach Raheem Morris has publicly said he's not a fan of them, but alas, another team is in town and a compromise must have been made. Quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins threw five passes apiece. Penix connected on all of his, with two standout moments. His second pass went to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III. Titans linebacker Cody Barton popped the ball out of McCloud's hands, but McCloud recovered to re-catch it. Penix's final pass went to running back Bijan Robinson, who created a lot of space between himself and Titans linebacker Cedric Gray along the sideline to easily catch the ball. Cousins, meanwhile, connected on three of his passes. The only real disconnect came on his final pass attempt to wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., which Titans cornerback Jermari Harris broke up.
– I know I named Casey Washington the offense's most notable player, but fellow wide receiver Drake London also had himself a day. The fourth-year receiver won both of his 1-on-1 matchups, going up against Titans cornerbacks Darrell Baker Jr. and Amani Oruwariye. His second win drew cheers from the crowd of fans on the hill, which prompted London to wave both his arms up and down, asking for more. London had back-to-back catches during 7-on-7 work but really did most of his work during 11-on-11. He was Penix's favorite target and caught four of the five balls thrown his way. The only incompletion between the two came after the pocket collapsed around Penix, who rushed to get the ball out. It could have been deemed a throwaway, though London was in the vicinity.
– A curious personnel change came in the final series for the first-team offense, when wide receiver David Sills V replaced London in the lineup. London, as stated, already had himself a day, so it's likely the coaching staff just wanted to give Sills' an elevated opportunity in a game-like setting. He caught his one pass from Penix.
– Speaking of Penix, the second-year starter completed 13 of his 16 passes with the touchdown to Washington. He was "sacked" twice by Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, who took reps from both the left and right side of the line. Right tackle Kaleb McGary and guard Chris Lindstrom double teamed Simmons at times, while left tackle Jake Matthews and guard Matthew Bergeron did the same. The three-time Pro Bowler's presence was bound to be felt, but the Falcons' offensive line held its own for the most part. The entire first-team offense did. Apart from one series in which Penix went just 2-of-4 with a sack, the unit operated efficiently and moved the ball well. Washington's touchdown was the flashiest moment, but that doesn't mean the offense performed poorly by any means.
– For those curious about tight end Kyle Pitts: He won both his 1-on-1 matchups, going against Baker and Harris. He then caught one of his two passes during 11-on-11 work. Titans linebacker James Williams Sr. covered Pitts on the incompletion. Pitts' completion was a clutch catch as it came in an off-script moment where Penix had to make the throw on the run. It was Penix's last pass of the day.
– Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 15 of his 19 passes. He was "sacked" once by Titans outside linebacker Ali Gaye during the final 11-on-11 series. Cousins targeted 11 different receivers overall, with wide receivers Jesse Matthews (caught all four of his passes) and David Sills V (caught two of his three passes) were his favorite targets. Matthews, whose birthday also fell on Tuesday, had an impressive diving catch for a deep ball out toward the left sideline. Sills' sole incompletion occurred because he stumbled en route to the ball.
– While the starting offensive line has looked solid all training camp, the backups appear to have work to do. The second-team offense featured a line that looked like this from right to left: Jack Nelson, Kyle Hinton, Jovaughn Gwyn, Elijah Wilkinson and Brandon Parker. The numbers may not show it – one less "sack" given up – but the gut feel is that there is a difference in readiness between the two groups. And that was even with running back Tyler Allgeier taking reps with both. Like running backs coach Michael Pitre said above, Jashaun Corbin, Nathan Cater and Elijah Dotson are vying for the third backfield spot with Carlos Washington Jr. out at the moment. Corbin had four carries Tuesday. Dotson had two. Carter had none. None really had a breakout run against the Titans' second-team defense.
Defensive observations (McElhaney):
– The marquee matchup of one-on-ones was with Calvin Ridley and A.J. Terrell. Heck, even Raheem Morris said before practice began this was the matchup he was personally most excited to see. It didn't disappoint, either. In the first rep, Ridley's quick feet off the snap got the better of Terrell, but the Falcons corner recovered on the next rep by sticking to Ridley's back hip as he tilted towards the sideline on a deep route. Terrell put a hand on the ball right as it touched Ridley's awaiting arms, breaking it up. The next two reps for the duo were each catches for short gains by Ridley.
The stars of one-on-ones for the defense, though, were Dee Alford and Billy Bowman Jr. Both competing nickels got their hands on some balls, and each broke up a throw. They didn't shy away from contact, either; their physicality was on full display.
– A major theme of the day was the seeming continued miscommunication between Cam Ward and his receivers. During the 7-on-7 period, Falcons defenders batted down a few low throws. Towards the end of the period, Ward threw to no-man's-land twice as the receiver didn't break on their routes in the direction Ward thought they would. This continued periodically throughout 11-on-11 work, too, and let to the Falcons' secondary getting their hands on a lot of balls. Atlanta's pass rush also forced Ward to check down a lot early. In the first- and second-down periods, Mike Hughes had a punch-out while Terrell broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. Terrell did the same thing in the final period of the day, too — this deflected pass was knocked high in the air and corralled by Jessie Bates III for an interception. A third-down situational period ended with a Mike Ford interception on a pass thrown by Ward. Again, it was a ball thrown in an area where a receiver broke right towards the boundary instead of staying put at the top of the route like (I'm assuming) Ward expected he would. It was then an easy pick by Ford.
– After a notable performance in the first half of last Friday's preseason game, the starting defensive front stole the show. The Falcons were consistently getting solid penetration, particularly through the interior with David Oneyamata, Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison. There were a few times the attacking style front pushed so violently through the middle of the protection that Ward did leak out of the pocket. Setting the edge against a quarterback that moves is something that bit the Falcons' front in the butt on a number of occasions in 2024. I would be curious to know how many of those moments in Tuesday's practice were actually sacks by the defensive interior more than Ward seemingly keeping the play alive. It's difficult to truly tell in those moments without live tackling to the ground. Still, this front didn't make the day easy on Ward. It felt like the interior, specifically, was in his lap or making him move off his spot more often than not. Another note I'll add about this? Titans' center Corey Levin's jersey was ripped down the right side after the third down team period. Can't say who did it, but I'd bet money it was any of the combinations of individuals I listed off the top.
– The Falcons' first-round picks got in a little bit of new work during 11-on-11s Tuesday. For starters, the Falcons saw fit to move Jalon Walker across the line a bit more than he did Friday night. In fact, there were a few instances, particularly during the third-down period, that the Falcons had (as one example) Walker up on the line in the A-gap, not working off the edge. He was lined up over the guard with someone like Arnold Ebiketie beside him. This is purely speculation, but it does make you wonder if this is something the Falcons are doing in response to Friday's game when there were a few instances where an offensive tackles' length minimized Walker's impact as a true pass rusher. Do they like the matchup with a guard more? We shall see. As for James Pearce Jr. in that same third down period, the Falcons were actually working on him dropping back into coverage a couple times, disguising the pass rush of either another edge rusher (like Leonard Floyd) or linebacker (like Elliss) up at the line of scrimmage. He only did it about four times tops in that period, so I don't think it is something to be concerned about or questioning why they're not sending him after the quarterback. Rather, they were working on specific looks they could give others while also giving Pearce an opportunity to work on a small part of his game.
– After practice, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said he still believes there to be three or four starting jobs open for the defense. He wouldn't give names to those three or four positions, so I will (plus I will even throw in how those battles are looking):
- Safety alongside Bates: Xavier Watts got the nod to start each team period with Bates, with Jordan Fuller acting as the first man off the bench when new individuals rotated in.
- Nickel: Alford was the first player in the slot with the first-team team, with Bowman rotating in thereafter.
- Interior defensive line: Because of the injury to Graham, we got to see a lot more of Zach Harrison, Brandon Dorlus and LaCale London in action earlier than maybe we would have had Graham been out there. Still, "starters" with this group don't seem to matter to me too much. Defensive line coach Nate Ollie has stated to players that they will never be on the field for more than four plays in a row, so the rotation with this group? It remains significant.
- Edge rusher: This is another "maybe" for me because I don't necessarily think "starters" matter here as much as who gets the bulk of the snaps when. But I will say Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd continue to be a fun duo to watch work off each other. We also got to see Bralen Trice working opposite James Pearce Jr. a lot Tuesday. Trice didn't play in Friday's preseason game, but he is an active participant with the first- and second-team defensive front rotation.
Special teams observations (Waack):
– There was one period in which both kicker Younghoe Koo and Lenny Krieg had four field-goal attempts apiece. Neither missed. Koo was good from 40, 43, 50 and 54 yards out. Krieg was good from 53, 51, 42 and 37 yards out. Krieg later had one more field-goal attempt to close out practice, and he missed from 52 yards.
What's next: The Falcons hold their 11th and final open practice for fans Wednesday at IBM Performance Field. It's another joint session with the Titans.
Countdown to kickoff: There are 26 days until the Falcons' Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | See full schedule
