I’m not saying this to discount or discredit what we’ve seen in the first three days of practice; football has been getting played with just about everyone present, but the real evaluation doesn’t happen until pads come on.
The first day of pads (aka Tuesday) was the first day when real hits could start getting laid down and when real football physically comes into play, as opposed to the glorified two-hand touch that takes place when everyone is in shorts and a t-shirt.
You could feel the physicality
and the different nature of practice right from the get-go, with real takedowns and tackles happening.
The first play in scrimmage was an aggressive scamper from RB Carlos Washington Jr. which got the offensive players hooting and hollering, before LB DiVine Diablo met him right at the line of scrimmage for a stuff on the very next snap.
QB Michael Penix Jr. noted in the opening comments of his post-practice press conference that the wide receivers came up to him telling him they were especially excited about run plays because it meant they could go “hit a safety.”
All smiles from Michael Penix in the post practice press conference. He says it was a “great day” with “intensity and energy”
— Adnan Ikic (@SayWhichWay) July 29, 2025
“I had some receivers come to me saying they were excited about run plays because they could go a hit a safety.”
(Singled McCloud and Drake out) pic.twitter.com/AzCgY8UgaY
Here are my observations from Day 4 of Falcons Training Camp!
James Pearce Jr. wreaks havoc
Rookie OLB James Pearce Jr. was the primary focus on Sunday, being in the middle of back to back scuffles amid a strong day, and he might have been even better Tuesday. Pearce was constantly in the backfield, speeding up the clock on Penix and QB Kirk Cousins. He was getting lined up on both sides of the edge early on.
Pearce’s best play of the day came during the red zone portion of drills, when he sped passed a seemingly helpless T Jake Matthews one-on-one and drew a clear holding penalty on a play that wound up being a touchdown pass which was called back.
A few plays later, against the second team in 11-on-11s, Pearce’s pressure on Kirk Cousins forced a sailing incompletion on what should have been an easy short pass intended for TE Feleipe Franks.
What was maybe most impressive about Pearce’s day is that he was mostly giving the business to the starting offensive line, as he ran exclusively with the second-team defense today — for reference, the scrimmage period mostly consists of the first-team offense facing the second-team defense and vice versa.
Penix when asked about James Pearce Jr. “He’s a baller. He’s gonna make a lot of plays for us. I can’t wait to see him on Sundays.”
— Adnan Ikic (@SayWhichWay) July 29, 2025
Michael Penix dials up Drake London amid a solid day
Michael Penix went an overall 6-10 in all scrimmage portions today (I did not count the touchdown pass that was called back on the holding which Pearce drew), and he continued showing his prowess on difficult throws. WR Drake London was the recipient of exactly half of those completions, and went for major yardage on each of his touches.
The day started with an incredibly impressive throw from Penix, right around the left hashmark, to London on the right sideline for about 23 yards (all of it through the air). It looked routine, but delivering that ball on the money on the opposite sideline showcased Penix’s incredible arm talent better than maybe any throw I’ve seen all camp.
Penix made it look easy with a throw for about 23 yards to the opposite side of the field on a completion to London
— Adnan Ikic (@SayWhichWay) July 29, 2025
Penix dialed London up again three throws later for a home-run shot 40+ yards downfield against CB Natrone Brooks in one on one coverage.
Reporting live @themikepenix x @DrakeLondon_ pic.twitter.com/JQIHhLpk5q
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) July 29, 2025
Penix’s lone touchdown in red zone drills, from about the 8-yard-line, was a play where he maneuvered to the left and threw cross body to an open WR Ray Ray McCloud over the middle in the end zone.
The sophomore quarterback makes some of the most difficult throws look easy, but if there’s one thing to hope for improvement on it’s those short to moderate “touch pass” throws, some of which have been getting overshot above the receiver’s head during camp.
Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson have strong performances
We were finally able to see the running backs get loose a little bit, without every play being called dead as soon as a defender arrives in the vicinity (which is the standard when pads aren’t on).
RB Bijan Robinson continued showcasing what fellow running back Saquon Barkley said about him on his top 100 video, that “there’s nobody who can cut like him in the NFL.” The defense got some wins and closed some of those gaps for run stuffs, but it looked like a chore to contain the slippery Robinson whenever he got going.
On one run in particular, he broke through to the right side and had just one man to beat for what could have been a long touchdown in a real game as the play was blown dead.
Bijan connected with Penix for a 20-yard touchdown reception on a wheel route, where he beat ILB JD Bertrand by multiple steps, but this was the particular play that was called back for holding.
Get you an RB who can do both @themikepenix x @Bijan5Robinson pic.twitter.com/LVA6aaKcjQ
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) July 29, 2025
Not to be overlooked was RB Tyler Allgeier’s strong day. He got his day started in the early portion of scrimmage with what would have been a 65-yard touchdown run in a real game on a perfectly blocked play where he hit the hole untouched.
Allgeier once again later broke off a long run before taking Penix’s final pass of the day — a set-up halfback screen — for another play which could have gone the distance in a real game. He had a huge gain at the beginning of practice, one in the middle and one at the very end.
Kicking battle winds up being a dead heat
We got more kicking action, for the second day in a row, this time with the field goals being attempted facing the uprights right in front of the onlooking crowd on the hill.
Unlike Sunday, it was K Lenny Krieg who got things going with the first five kicks before K Younghoe Koo was given his set.
These are unofficial yardage measurements, but from what I could infer on the sideline, Krieg was successful from 27 yards out, 41 yards out, 49 yards out and from 40 on his final kick. All of the makes were down the middle, but his lone kick from beyond 50 yards (a 55-yarder) went wide right for an overall 4-5 mark.
We saw a carbon copy when Koo was given his opportunity. My unofficial yardage measurements on Koo’s makes were 40 yards, 49 yards, 42 yards and 33 yards, with his lone kick beyond 50 yards (a 54-yarder) also going wide right for his own 4-5 mark.
Other Notes
- Kirk Cousins went an overall 6-11 today with five of those completions being dink-and-dunks and the sixth maybe going 10 yards downfield to WR Chris Blair. WR David Sills V was the only receiver to catch multiple passes from Cousins. Both of these guys were singled out by Penix as receivers who have been playing really well.
Penix singled out Ray Ray McCloud as stepping up with Mooney out. Also named David Sills and Chris Blair as guys playing really well among the WRs.
— Adnan Ikic (@SayWhichWay) July 29, 2025
- S Xavier Watts got all of the looks with the starting unit today at strong safety. The team seems to be alternating full days as the starter between he and S Jordan Fuller in this competition.
- CB Dee Alford seems to have tightened his grip of the starting nickel spot as his time with the first team seems to be gradually increasing with each passing practice. Natrone Brooks is lining up as an outside CB with the second team while rookie CB Billy Bowman is running as the second team nickel.
- DT Ruke Ohrohroro continued his strong camp, stuffing some runs, getting real push up the middle and helping force Cousins into a sack (which could have been his but may have been credited to OLB Arnold Ebikete).
- More mixture in both 3-4 and 4-3 looks today. OLB Leonard Floyd and Ebikete continue being the starters off the edge in the 9-tech in 3-4 and the 5-tech defensive ends in the 4-3, but plenty of rotation is utilized along the defensive line.
- DT Brandon Dorlus again got some first team looks in the 3-4 as an interior edge. He got a sack of QB Easton Stick on the last play of scrimmage today, after OLB Khalid Kareem’s pressure forced him to step up. Kareem continues getting his own rotation into the first team along the edge.
Brandon Dorlus looks like he just got a sack on Easton Stick on the last play
— Adnan Ikic (@SayWhichWay) July 29, 2025
- As expected, the primary guys in punt return drills were Ray Ray McCloud and WR Jamal Agnew.
- TE Kyle Pitts Sr. once again got a little bit of run in the initial scrimmage but not much more than that. He had two targets and both fell incomplete.
- Rookie OLB Jalon Walker did not participate for the second straight practice. He was on the side field along with ILB Troy Andersen working with no helmet on as practice started.
That’s it for today. We have another off day tomorrow before heading back out there on Thursday.
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