FLOWERY BRANCH — After several practice-specific notebooks and takeaways gleaned just from a day’s work at OTAs or mandatory minicamp, it’s time for a bigger-picture symposium of the last month of Falcons’ practices.
The Falcons opened five practices to the media — three during OTAs, two in minicamp — and provided access to coach Kevin Stefanski, assistant general manager Jeff Scott, every assistant coach and 30 media-requested players.
Here are the biggest lessons we learned from the first half of the summer in Flowery Branch, mostly from the field with a bit of help from the microphone, too.
Tagovailoa has leg up in QB race, but Falcons won’t name starter yet
Stefanski and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt asserted the team won’t soon name a starting quarterback, and Van Pelt said the competition between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. won’t even begin until Penix is a full participant in practice.
Penix, who tore his ACL last November, isn’t yet 100% but feels he’s on track in his recovery and plans to be ready for Week 1. He’s participated in individual drills and 7-on-7 periods but wasn’t cleared for 11-on-11 action.
The Falcons tried to split snaps evenly between Penix and Tagovailoa, but the latter faced no health restrictions and participated fully in 11-on-11s, which gave him a natural edge in reps.
Tagovailoa capitalized. He was turnover-prone in the first two open practices, tossing two interceptions and nearly throwing another, but he didn’t have a giveaway in the final three sessions. The 28-year-old’s accuracy has long been his calling card, and it was on full display this summer.
In red zone drills, Tagovailoa’s ball placement allowed him to thread tight windows and complete several difficult touchdown passes. Penix had his moments, too, and performed admirably while his knee wasn’t fully recovered.
The job remains open, but after the on-field product from the past month, it’s fair to label Tagovailoa the favorite entering training camp.
Credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Pearce, if nothing else, has locker room support
Over four months after being arrested in Miami for an alleged altercation with ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson, outside linebacker James Pearce Jr. returned to the Falcons’ facility for mandatory minicamp.
Pearce participated in individual drills but wasn’t thrown into the fire for team periods — the coaching staff decided that was best for his acclimation. On Wednesday, Pearce ran the hill overlooking the team’s practice field while the offense and defense faced each other.
Stefanski believes the Falcons have the right locker room culture to help Pearce, who had 10½ sacks as a rookie last season, get back on track. And two of Pearce’s fellow young standouts expressed public support at minicamp.
“I’m happy to see he’s back,” defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus said. “It’s been a minute since he’s been in the locker room, so to see him back out here is very good. He’s got to come back and trust his teammates. I think everybody’s happy he’s back. He’s got to get back in shape and win some football games.”
Star running back Bijan Robinson said it was cool to see Pearce’s joy and smile back in Flowery Branch.
“We’re there to help him at every step of the way, and he knows that we have his back,” Robinson said. “I talked to him as he’s here, and we all talked to him. And I think he’s really listening and really understanding what it takes, especially with the new regime. So, it’s going to be cool, man. I’m happy to have him back.”
Will Pearce play for the Falcons this fall? That’s largely in the NFL’s hands — the league is still investigating the case of Pearce, who’s in a 12-month diversion program and will have all charges dropped if he avoids any violations of his conditions.
New regime draws good reviews
Speaking of the new regime, Stefanski has drawn positive reviews from his players.
“He says what he means, and he means what he says,” Tagovailoa said. “A lot of things that I’ve heard within team meetings, within after practice meetings. It’s the little things that matter, it’s all about the little details with him.
“I wouldn’t say he’s a guy that raises his voice much. It’s just a guy who, what you see is what you get. But when he does speak, it kind of has some weight to it.”
Standout receiver Drake London, who’s on his third coaching staff in five years as a professional, said this coaching staff is a “huge difference” from those of the past.
“We’re working right now,” London said. “We’re getting after it, and everybody’s here at the moment, and we’re all after the same goal. And so, we’re just pushing and pulling people along as we go. And I think that’s the biggest difference right now is genuinely the same goal is in play.”
Falcons president of football Matt Ryan has been a big hit, too. Ryan has thrown passes to receivers during lulls in practices, and he’s proved a popular voice of reason when players and coaches have questions.
“I think it’s just another great resource to have,” guard Chris Lindstrom said. “I think Matt is probably the greatest Falcon ever. His eyes, opinion, everything is always of value.”
The Falcons lost only two defensive coaches this offseason — outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith and passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg — but secondary coach Justin Hood said there’s still been plenty of change.
“Defensively, we’re in our silo in some regard, but it’s definitely different,” Hood said. “It’s new. Two-thirds of the building is new. So, definitely different, but at the same time, familiar.”
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
WR corps has a strong top four
The Falcons know what they have in London, who’s now the third highest-paid receiver in the league and is compensated as a legitimate go-to weapon. And while the rest of the room is still finding its footing, there’s a clear top four with plenty of intrigue.
Jahan Dotson, a first-round pick in 2022, is the favorite to be the No. 2 option. He flashed during phase three of the offseason and proved he can win in several quadrants of the field. Veteran wideout Olamide Zaccheaus has emerged as a reliable weapon, especially in the red zone, while third-round rookie Zachariah Branch has hit more explosive plays than perhaps anyone else on the offense.
The Falcons have a wide variety of archetypes and ingredients atop their receiving corps, which gives them plenty of potential to create matchup problems this fall.
“We have a lot of dudes in that receiver room,” Tagovailoa said. “It’s tall, it’s medium tall, if you will. It’s short, it’s fast, it’s not too fast. You have a variety of receivers, and you also have a variety of pass catchers within a tight end room.”
Rookie class shaping up to be … interesting
The Falcons’ six draftees are in several different spots entering the summer break. A quick synopsis:
- Second-round corner Avieon Terrell largely worked as a third-string outside corner. He missed the first two weeks of team periods during OTAs but did individual drills. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder broke up one of Penix’s passes Wednesday for his first highlight.
- Branch and sixth-round linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. have been the most impressive. Perkins has worked with the second-team defense and saw a snap with the first-string unit as well, aligning over the center’s right shoulder in a pass-rushing look. He should make an impact on special teams, too.
- Fourth-round linebacker Kendal Daniels and sixth-round defensive tackle Anterio Thompson didn’t participate because of injuries. Seventh-round offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa rotated with the first-team unit at right tackle during one OTA practice but largely worked with the reserves.
The Falcons expect Terrell to make a significant impact this fall, but Branch and Perkins look plenty capable of seeing snaps, too.
Tying up the loose ends
Some closing extracurriculars, including a few starting spots, deep position groups and other notes:
- Mike Hughes appears the heavy favorite to start at outside cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell for the third consecutive season.
- Elsewhere in the secondary, Sydney Brown has the inside track to start at nickel corner.
- The Falcons gave the green dot to Divine Deablo at inside linebacker. Kaden Elliss, now with the New Orleans Saints, previously served as the defense’s chief communicator.
- Next to Deablo, Christian Harris worked with the first-team defense during every open practice. He’s a likely Week 1 starter at linebacker.
- The Falcons have a deep defensive line. There are young, ascending players like Dorlus, Maason Smith and Zach Harrison, and proven veterans in Da’Shawn Hand, LaCale London and Chris Williams.
- The secondary is deep with position flexibility, too. Hughes can play inside and outside, as can Avieon Terrell and Clark Phillips III. Natrone Brooks is cross-training at safety. Brown can play safety and nickel. It’s a versatile group.
- Jawaan Taylor is the likely starter at right tackle, filling the void left by Kaleb McGary’s retirement, but Michael Jerrell saw the vast majority of first-team reps this summer with Taylor out because of injury. The position remains worth watching in training camp.
The Falcons begin training camp July 29 in Flowery Branch.
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