What is the story about?
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons conducted their second padded practice on Wednesday, bringing in full (or close to full) contact tackling for the first time. As you might expect, that led to a livelier practice, and we got to see a lot more from the offensive line and run game than we have in days past. Overall, this was the best practice to date, with a more evenly-matched offense and defense than we saw early in camp.
Read on for my notes from Day 7 of Atlanta Falcons training camp, including
some quotes from Michael Penix Jr. and the recently-extended Bijan Robinson.
Falcons training camp Day 7 notes and quotes
- This was the second padded practice and the first with full-contact tackling in 11-on-11. The players loved this and the energy level was noticeably higher.
- Veteran kicker Nick Folk got extensive work today, going 7/7 in field goal attempts ranging from the 31 to the 51. The most impressive was that 51-yard kick, which started with a botched hold. Holder Jake Bailey recovered quickly, and Folk still nailed the attempt. Folk spoke on Monday about his relationship with Bailey from years past, and how important that existing experience with a holder can be. That was probably a major factor in Atlanta’s decision to sign Bailey over Bradley Pinion this offseason.
- Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. spoke to the media after practice today, saying that he feels good and “could be cleared any day”. The final step will be a meeting with his doctor, and that is not currently scheduled. Still, Penix says that he’s feeling better and definitely improving week-over-week.
- When asked about playing with RB Bijan Robinson, Penix said all the QBs joke that “if you get into trouble, just ‘Bij’ it,”. Must be nice having that luxury!
- Bijan Robinson spoke to the media after practice to discuss his extension. He said it was tough to be on the sidelines, but it offered him a unique perspective that he actually enjoyed. Also mentioned that getting the compensation for the running back position back to where it should be was one of his goals. It seems like he definitely accomplished that!
Injury Updates
- Safety Jessie Bates III was not on the field today. It appears he’s dealing with some kind of injury, but we haven’t yet received any official news.
- DL Zach Harrison had his helmet on today but was still working on the rehab field. He seems to be inching closer to returning.
- CB CJ Henderson has been held out of the last two days of practices, so it appears he’s also dealing with some sort of injury.
Offense
- QB Tua Tagovailoa appeared to be more or less “full go” today, taking all the starters reps in 11-on-11. He had an early interception on what looked like a route miscommunication, then rebounded with a number of impressive throws. He hit Drake London on a 20-yard dig, layering the pass over multiple defenders. The short game was also very effective, as Tua hit multiple receivers with plenty of room for YAC to keep the offense on schedule. This was his best and most complete practice so far.
- QB Michael Penix Jr. had a very efficient day, hitting almost all of his passes save for an “arm punt” interception to Sydney Brown on a play that had been blown dead due to a “sack”. Penix hit Drake London on a deep corner route that was layered beautifully, and connected on a touch pass to Jahan Dotson on the right sideline for about 20 yards. He was also throwing with better touch and timing in the short game, peppering the tight ends (especially Austin Hooper) with targets and setting up some YAC opportunities. This was a very strong practice overall from Penix, who aside from not participating in 11-on-11, looks healthy and competitive.
- QB Cooper Rush was ahead of QB Jack Strand on the depth chart today, and Rush had the more effective day overall. Rush was efficient in distributing the ball to his receivers and kept the offense moving. The best pass was a well-timed crosser to Zachariah Branch that the rookie nearly scored on, just barely stepping out of bounds after the first down marker. Strand got fewer opportunities today, but continued to take chances downfield that didn’t necessarily pay off.
- With full tackling allowed, the run game finally got a chance to shine. The blocking from just about every unit was pretty solid and there were a number of impressive runs by Brian Robinson, Nate Carter, and Tyler Goodson. Cash Jones had a quieter day but continued to be heavily involved as a receiver out of the backfield.
- Rookie WR Zachariah Branch is clearly the story of training camp, and the team’s veterans have completely embraced him. The sideline lights up when he catches a pass. Drake London was crushed when Branch just barely stepped out on what would’ve been a big TD catch-and-run. I would say Branch had a more mortal day (by his standards), with a drop in 1-on-1s and a lost fumble on a catch in traffic. That said, he paired it with the aforementioned impressive plays, and he continues to rise up the depth chart.
- WR Jahan Dotson continues to play the WR2 role, taking snaps outside and in the slot. Olamide Zaccheaus continues to play WR3 and has acquitted himself well thus far. Both players have been targeted and made the most of their opportunities. With Branch in the building, I feel pretty confident that this year’s WR corps is significantly better than the 2025 iteration.
- In terms of the depth receivers, WR Antwane Wells Jr. continues to make plays. He caught a deep TD pass from Penix that was the play of the 1-on-1 period. Wells and Chris Blair are pretty clearly a step above the rest of the competition at this stage, and both could make the roster if Atlanta elects to keep 6 WRs.
- It’s pretty clear that the TEs will be heavily involved in the passing game, as Austin Hooper got a lot of targets and even Charlie Woerner got involved. This will be a big change from 2025.
Defense
- Rookie CB Avieon Terrell opened the 11-on-11 period with an interception of Tua Tagovailoa. He spent time rotating between outside and the slot, but is definitely making his presence known. His physicality stands out in the cornerback room.
- An underrated competitor in the slot competition might be safety Sydney Brown, who probably had the best rep of training camp against Zachariah Branch in the 1-on-1s. He notched a pick off Penix (on a play that was probably blown dead, but still). He’s rotated into the slot more and more in recent days and offers a bigger, more physical presence than the smaller CBs.
- CB Mike Hughes continues to have a great camp. He’s been targeted a lot opposite A.J. Terrell and has answered the call, playing sticky coverage and making plays.
- With CB CJ Henderson sidelined, Cobee Bryant and Clark Phillips III have taken advantage of increased opportunities. Bryant had a nice PBU in 11-on-11, while Phillips managed to jar the ball loose from Branch for a turnover late in practice.
- The pass rush continued to be effective even in Jalon Walker’s absence. EDGE Samson Ebukam notched an early sack, while CB AJ Woods got in unblocked off a well-timed slot blitz. Atlanta may have to get more creative with their rush plan now that Walker is out of the picture, but they’ve got options. Speaking of, Cameron Thomas seemed to be the early recipient of Walker’s snaps. Bralen Trice was mixing in as well. I’d expect to see Azeez Ojulari getting more reps in the coming days.
- DT Chris Williams continued his strong camp with a pair of run stuffs. UDFA DT Carlos Allen Jr. also had a nice play against the run.
- The LBs were more active today now that tackling was on the table. Veteran Channing Tindall had back-to-back stops, and rookie Harold Perkins Jr. had a couple of nice plays in coverage and against the run. Christian Harris also continued to shine in coverage, stopping a pass to TE Josh Simon for no gain.
That’s a wrap on Day 7 of Falcons training camp. This is my final day at Flowery Branch, and we won’t have a show for you all tonight as I’ll be getting on a plane shortly. Thanks for following along with me during the past week! We’ll have plenty more coverage of camp coming your way here from Jeanna Kelley, Adnan Ikic, and others.
