FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons returned to the practice field Monday after their 23-20 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans. It was noticeably less crowded on the field after last week's joint sessions. And it was much quieter with an empty hill in the background.
"It's like a transition period," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "No fans. No team. Back to us, really going out and focusing on what we do and getting better."
Morris addressed the media prior to heading outside and provided updates on a slew of absences and injuries. Senior content producer Tori McElhaney recapped all that information in one spot. So, let's get right to the on-field notes and observations from Monday's two-hour practice.
Practice count: 13th open to media. There aren't any more open practices for fans.
Most notable player: Natrone Brooks. The cornerback intercepted quarterback Kirk Cousins' pass during 11-on-11 work, jumping to cut off the intended target of wide receiver Jesse Matthews. Though he was touched, Brooks ran the pick all the way to the end zone in celebration. He also had an interception against the Titans, the first and only in a preseason game so far for the Falcons.
Say what now: "I go back and forth. Sometimes, when you scrimmage and you do some of these things on the field, you can kind of wonder what it would be like, but our communication has been so strong last year with where everybody was at. Obviously we have all the same coaches back, so we'll see where it goes. But yeah, I'll kind of make that decision when it comes," said Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson when asked whether he'll call plays from the booth or sideline in 2025. Last year, he was in the booth.
Song of the day: "Not Today Satan" by KB.
Roll call: Wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder), wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, running back Carlos Washington Jr. (hamstring), wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III, inside linebacker Malik Verdon (Non-Football Injury list), inside linebacker Troy Andersen (Physically Unable to Perform list), offensive lineman Storm Norton (lower body), edge rusher Khalid Kareem (groin) and defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham (calf) were not dressed out for practice. Hodge and McCloud were the only unexpected absences.
General observations:
-- Let's get the quarterback stats from 11-on-11 work out of the way immediately. Michael Penix Jr. completed 10 of his 17 pass attempts. Kirk Cousins connected eight of his 10 passes. Easton Stick went 1-of-3.
-- The connection between Penix and wide receiver Drake London got better as practice went on. After four incompletions, they connected on three passes. After his second catch, London chucked the ball away in celebration. It was an impressive catch, considering he was heavily covered and nearly out of bounds.
-- Hovering within the 20-yard line, Cousins threw a pass to tight end Feleipe Franks in the right corner of the end zone. Franks dove to catch it, beating out inside linebacker Divine Deablo and securing the touchdown. It was a perfect throw from Cousins and just passed Deablo's outstretched arm.
-- Edge rusher Jalon Walker, who did not play against the Titans due to a groin injury sustained during joint practices, was seen dressed out for individual drills but did not participate in any 11-on-11 work.
-- The Falcons continue to cross-train DeAngelo Malone. He had reps both at inside linebacker and on the edge Monday.
-- Xavier Watts took most of the first-team reps opposite starting safety Jessie Bates III during 11-on-11 work, while Jordan Fuller and DeMarcco Hellams ran primarily with the second-team defense. Hellams was wearing a yellow non-contact pinnie.
-- Cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. was also wearing a yellow non-contact pinnie. Do not know why him or Hellams were doing so.
-- Wide receiver Jamal Agnew returned to practice this week after missing both of the joints last week as he was dealing with an "oblique-esque injury," as Morris described it. Because Morris also said the follow -- "We got to see what that is and how we get through that to find out whether he can be our return guy or not." – it'll be important to track who else is getting return reps moving forward. Cornerback Mike Hughes and running back Elijah Dotson were with Agnew for punt returns Monday.
-- Competition is always present in the NFL, and while the kicking position in Atlanta is no different, it does sound like veteran Younghoe Koo has edged out rookie Lenny Krieg for now. Morris said, "Koo has got some emotional bank accounts with me, and I'll just leave it at that." On Monday, both Koo and Krieg hit all their field-goal attempts. Krieg went first and was good from 33, 42, 51 and 60 yards out. Koo was then good from 33, 47, 50 and 58 yards out.
-- Cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. appeared to tweak or cramp something in his lower body early into 11-on-11 work, while covering London as a pass sailed their way and fell incomplete. Terrell returned to the first-team defense's next serious, though, so it was likely just an in-the-moment pain.
-- Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich ran sprints with some of the players post-practice. He ran between to Bates and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.
-- The Falcons' two new signings were spotted at practice Monday. Quarterback Ben DiNucci was fully dressed in his No. 16 jersey and pads, while edge rusher Ronnie Perkins remained on the sideline in his No. 50 jersey but no pads.
NOTE: All statistics are unofficial and not provided by the team.
What's next: The Falcons' next practice open to the media alone is Wednesday at IBM Performance Field.
Countdown to kickoff: There are 20 days until the Falcons' Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | See full schedule
