19 Falcons thoughts — some big, some small — after first half of training camp (2024)

The Atlanta Falcons have completed eight of 17 scheduled training camp practices. There are still plenty of things to be learned, but that’s enough time to have some thoughts, and I do.

Some are longer. Some shorter. They’re all going to be in a stream-of-consciousness style. Here we go:

1. Raheem Morris is talking to his team, not you

This is not a negative comment. Please don’t go into the comments and say I started this negatively. I’m only pointing out what is happening, what it means and what it doesn’t.

Atlanta’s new head coach is an unabashed encourager. He goes out of his way to say something nice about support staff members on the team and coaches, and he regularly heaps praise on his players. He will take every opportunity to inject belief into his team, and he’s made no secret that is the purpose behind it all.

“You want to allow people to go out and shoot their shot,” Morris said. “You’re going to miss a couple. I still want you to be able to shoot your shot.”

This is a good idea. This team needs some confidence. The potential trap for fans is that the more they hear Morris, the more they will start thinking, “We’re back, baby! It’s Super Bowl or bust!”

Yes, the Falcons should be better than last season. Yes, they could win, but by no stretch of the imagination are they a lock to win the NFC South.

Longtime readers will know that I’m a believer in preseason optimism. Still, Falcons fans who are understandably energized by Morris’ upbeat attitude every time he’s in front of the camera (and apparently every time he’s anywhere) might get carried away and start thinking this team is headed for a 12-win-type season. That’s a recipe for disappointment.

2. The voice of reason

On the subject of optimism versus realism, listen to new quarterback Kirk Cousins. In his most recent media appearance, the 13th-year veteran offered this comment unsolicited: “I’m very aware of the fact that perception right now is that our offense is going to be really, really great, that we’ve got all these great players. I just think that’s only perception. It’s our job to make it reality. I don’t really care much about perception. I don’t care at all. I care about reality and making sure that’s actually what it is this fall, and until we go do it, I don’t actually feel any assurance.”

The Falcons should be better on offense than they were last year (26th in expected points added per play, according to TruMedia), but Cousins is right that there is an assumption that everything is just fixed now when that hasn’t been proven. In fact, neither Robert Mays nor Derrik Klassen predicted on The Athletic Football Show that the Falcons would be a top-10 offense in 2024.

Cousins, with some help from wide receiver Darnell Mooney, is trying to ensure his teammates understand that nothing has been accomplished yet.

“At times, we both walk around the building with a healthy state of rage, if that makes sense, like, ‘We have to be better. How can we be better?'” Cousins said. “You try to not only have that yourself but inflict it on other people in a healthy way. I do think it’s a talking point.”

3. Listening and learning

Falcons fans will enjoy Cousins for a couple of reasons. Most obviously and importantly, he’s a really good quarterback. Longtime observers around the practice field consistently mumble things like, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen that” after Cousins makes a nice anticipation throw or layers a pass between coverage levels.

The second reason — and please don’t underestimate this one — is he is remarkably earnest. It feels like such a quaint character trait these days when Cousins simply answers questions as forthrightly and completely as he can.

Fans paying attention will learn more about their team if they listen closely this season.

The fastest man alive! 😂 pic.twitter.com/mx1gc6pWNg

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 1, 2024

4. How long for Heinicke?

While we’re still on the subject of quarterbacks, it’s pretty clear the Falcons will try to trade veteran backup Taylor Heinicke. Even Heinicke acknowledged he could “see the writing on the wall” as soon as Michael Penix Jr. was drafted in April.

At one point, it seemed possible Atlanta could keep three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster to take advantage of the emergency quarterback rule (which the Falcons did last season) or see if it could stash Heinicke on the practice squad. However, if that were the case, the personnel department wouldn’t be spending so much time on what is currently its No. 4 quarterback spot.

The Falcons opened camp with John Paddock in that spot, but last week, they released Paddock and signed Nathan Rourke. It sure feels like they are trying to find a practice squad quarterback for this season with the anticipation that Heinicke will be gone.

That would be a bummer for Heinicke, who grew up in north Georgia and has long had a home just minutes from the Falcons’ training facility, and for the local media, who enjoy having Heinicke’s colorful personality in the locker room.

What could they get for Heinicke? A late-round pick probably.

5. Rookie on the move

Rookie edge rusher Bralen Trice is steadily getting more and more snaps with the first-team defense.

“It was a confidence booster for sure,” he said. “I was like, ‘They really think I can do this.'”

6. Drake London looks like a giant

The new coaching staff rebuilt the wide receiver corps with a lot more speed. It came at the expense of size, and after eight practices it’s still a little jarring to see the starters out there with the 6-foot-4 London towering over Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud.

7. Bijan’s ball security

Bijan Robinson, last year’s No. 8 pick, is the starting running back and the plan is for him to get a lot of work. But he knows he must protect the ball better to ensure that role. Robinson fumbled four times in his rookie season, losing three of them. Austin Ekeler (five) was the only running back in the NFL who fumbled more.

“I have been harping on that all offseason,” Robinson said.

And he does seem to be holding the ball high and (extra) tight so far in camp.

8. Tyler Allgeier’s still on the team

This is a good time for my regular reminder not to forget about Tyler Allgeier, who had a Falcons rookie record of 1,035 yards on the ground two years ago. Allgeier’s teammates love him (This does not mean they don’t like Robinson. Let’s not start any rumors.) and that matters.

“Works hard, does everything right, always does the right stuff,” left tackle Jake Matthews said. “You want to do so well for him. Never takes any credit or gives any blame to guys. He’s just the ultimate teammate. To make things even better, he’s a tremendous running back.”

9. The surprise slot receiver

Ray-Ray McCloud had 90 catches in six seasons before signing with the Falcons as a free agent in the offseason. Rondale Moore had 135 catches in three years when Atlanta acquired him in a trade for Desmond Ridder. So when everyone was penciling in their offseason depth charts, it made sense to put Moore ahead of McCloud at the slot position.

Nope. It’s clearly McCloud’s job right now.

“I have the ultimate confidence in him,” wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard said of McCloud. “I think he’s going to be really good for our football team.”

Moore has made some big plays in camp connecting with Penix on the second team but has struggled with consistency.

10. Where’s Arnold Ebiketie?

The Falcons are clearly committed to getting bigger in the defensive front seven.

“It’s a big man’s game, and when you have big dudes coming in in waves, that’s significant,” general manager Terry Fontenot said.

Where does that leave the 250-pound Arnold Ebiketie, who was drafted in the second round in 2022 to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 system?

Not on the field much, honestly. He mostly has practiced as a rotational pass rusher with the second-team defense.

11. Big man backlog

The hardest cuts this preseason will come along the defensive front. Morris said the Falcons might go “heavy” at that spot, but even if they keep eight (James Smith-Williams, Brandon Dorlus, Eddie Goldman, Ta’Quon Graham, Demone Harris, Zach Harrison, Ruke Orhorhoro, Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata off the top of my head), that means cutting guys like 2024 draft pick Zion Logue and Kentavius Street.

Fontenot said the Falcons will try to keep the best 53 players overall rather than focusing on position group numbers by ranking everyone on their 90-man roster regardless of position before final cuts are made.

“You always want to make sure you’re not cutting a player just because of a position surplus,” he said.

12. Rams aren’t the only offense to watch

When the Falcons signed blocking tight ends Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley from the 49ers this offseason, it should have been a clear clue they were planning to rip off parts of the Niners’ run game.

Woerner says he thinks there is a 70 percent carryover from the San Francisco offense and what the Falcons will run this year. (Woerner and Dwelley also are best friends, and Woerner took Dwelley on his first trip to Waffle House last week.)

“It feels really familiar,” Dwelley said. “There is a lot of carryover between the Niners and here. They kind of liked our scheme that we would run. Me and Charlie would be on the move a lot, get in motion across the ball at full speed. I think they liked that.”

13. Third time could be a charm

In his third straight attempt at a comeback in Atlanta, Goldman has lost a lot of weight and is making steady progress. He worked with the starting defense in the final drills of Friday’s practice as the Falcons gave Grady Jarrett a rest. Goldman hasn’t played since 2021.

14. Kyle Pitts’ conditioning

As much as anyone on the offense, tight end Kyle Pitts has been breathing heavily during practice. Part of that is because he’s getting a ton of work, more than he did under former coach Arthur Smith simply because the Falcons practiced more personnel groupings under Smith. And part of it could be he’s still working himself into his best shape.

“You can see the play speed getting better,” tight ends coach Kevin Koger said. “Now, when he gets tired, that’s when we need to lock in and make sure we’re focusing on the little details. He’s been playing faster.”

Koger was very positive overall about Pitts’ commitment to getting better.

15. Just watching?

Former Cardinals head coach and longtime NFL defensive coordinator Steve Wilks spent a couple of days watching practice last week. There are no hiring plans in the works, Fontenot said, but keep the name on your radar.

16. No good answers on the kickoff

The Falcons haven’t practiced anything creative for the new kickoff return while the media have been at practice, and that’s certainly intentional. It has just been two returners back deep and traditional blocking after the catch. They might try something tricky when the games count, but I can’t help but think about what Ted Nguyen wrote here. There’s no reason for kickers not to kick a really ugly knuckleball and just muck up the whole thing before it starts, right?

Punter Bradley Pinion will probably kick off because the kicker has to be more involved in tackling now. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Pinion is bigger than kicker Younghoe Koo, and he’s cheaper ($2.2 million base salary compared with $4 million). Sorry, but that matters.

17. Big man moving

Grady Jarrett looks quick coming back from ACL surgery.

18. Don’t say that name

I will not compare sixth-round wide receiver Casey Washington to the fifth-round wide receiver who set records for the Los Angeles Rams in this offense last year, but Washington has made a couple of tough catches in the last week. (Seriously, he won’t be the other guy this year.)

19. There’s going to be a fight in Miami

The Falcons travel to Miami for joint practices against the Dolphins on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both teams undoubtedly are eager to hit someone other than a teammate. Since the Falcons also will be protective of Cousins’ repaired Achilles tendon, I expect an early practice fight.

(Top photo of Kirk Cousins: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)