The first week of Falcons training camp is behind us. It was an eventful seven practices, with a lot of good and, sadly, one very serious injury. Ultimately, I came away from Flowery Branch feeling pretty good about the direction of the team despite a different approach than I’m used to at training camp. It’s clear that Kevin Stefanski runs things differently than Raheem Morris and even Arthur Smith. How that will impact the regular season remains to be seen.
All that being said, I put together my
overall takeaways from the first week of Falcons training camp in a show format. I’ll also have my written notes down below for those who prefer that. If you’ve got time, give both a click to help us out. Check out the video, podcast, and notes below!
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Biggest takeaways from Falcons training camp
One thing to note off the top is that Stefanski’s training camp practices are run differently than those of Raheem Morris or Arthur Smith. For starters, they’ve typically been about half as long as I’m accustomed to. Morris and Smith typically practiced for the full two hour block every single day, while Stefanski practices between 60-90 minutes most days. Some days were closer to the full two hours, but especially early in camp, practices were shorter and lighter.
That being said, when the pads came on, Stefanski actually allowed full contact tackling. This is not something that we saw from Morris. The players seemed very happy about this, with several mentioning how different this approach was from the previous regime. While we haven’t seen the preseason games yet, Stefanski mentioned that he’s likely to play starters in both the first and third games, and that there’s going to be a lot more emphasis on the preseason in general. That’s a major departure from Morris, who refused to play any starters in preseason.
Again, we don’t know how this will play out and translate into the regular season. The team already suffered one major season-ending injury in practice, and risking starters in preseason action remains a controversial decision. It’s also one that’s been embraced by a number of the top teams in the league, so perhaps there is some correlation. We’ll see how this plays out over the next month.
The quarterback competition between Penix and Tua is real
Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t been cleared for full contact, and there’s no telling exactly when that will happen. That being said, Penix doesn’t appear to have any limitations, physically speaking. While he’s not participating in full team 11-on-11 work, he’s taking a similar allotment of snaps to Tua Tagovailoa and the other quarterbacks in 7-on-7.
Penix is healthier than most outsiders assume based on reporting. Watching him in camp, it looks like he could be cleared any day—and his lack of clearance is probably more precautionary than anything. Penix himself said as much, saying he feels great, is getting a little bit better every day, and also could theoretically be cleared “any day”. The last step for him is final clearance from his doctor, which doesn’t have a specific timeline at this point. My guess is if all goes well, the hope will be to get Penix cleared for at least the third preseason game. In order for Penix to have a shot to start Week 1, I think he’d need to be getting full team work by at least that time.
All that being said, Tua Tagovailoa has looked good in training camp. He’s been very efficient overall and typically superior to Penix in the red zone, although Penix has continuously wowed with his deep ball and aggressiveness on deeper targets. It’s difficult to compare the two because Penix’s snaps are more or less on a timer (with a simulated pass rush) versus Tua’s being an actual offensive line versus defensive line situation. Sometimes Tua gets more time as a result, sometimes a lot less. Obviously, Tua’s 11-on-11 snaps are more representative of an actual game environment.
That’s why it’s important for Penix to get some full team reps, sooner than later. At this point, he’s done a great job of keeping up with Tua based on the eye test. But without full team reps to make a direct comparison, the team may be forced to go with Tua for the early part of the season, simply because he’s been able to practice with the full team and Penix has not.
It’s also important to note that the QB competition isn’t going to end with the Week 1 starter being named. This is likely to be an ongoing battle, no matter who wins the job to open the season. Even if Tua is given the job initially, he’ll have to play well to keep the team from going to Penix, and vice versa. There’s no loyalty to either player from the coaching staff or front office at this stage.
The most impressive player of camp? WR Zachariah Branch
This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but the most impressive player of the first week of Falcons training camp is rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch. The electric athlete wowed early with his 1-on-1 prowess, then continued his dominance into team drills and fully padded practices. His route running is far more advanced than what he showed on tape at Georgia, and his hands have arguably been the best of any receiver at camp. That’s not to say he’s been flawless, but for a third-round rookie to be the story of camp? Far beyond even my most optimistic expectations.
The Falcons passing game will change significantly in 2026
Much was made in the offseason about Atlanta likely running their offense out of 12 (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) personnel, given the lack of receiving talent on the roster and Stefanski’s preferences for the tight end position. I doubt Stefanski’s preferences have changed—the tight end position will be heavily targeted, I have no doubt—but the outlook of the team’s receiving talent most certainly has.
Jahan Dotson has looked like a solid WR2, playing both outside and in the slot and generally looking like an efficient option. I doubt he’ll be a major head-turner on a weekly basis, but Dotson is exactly the type of reliable and versatile chain-mover that the Falcons offense lacked in 2025. At slot receiver, Olamide Zaccheaus has acquitted himself well and generally looked like a solid WR3 option. I think he could provide similar value to what Atlanta got out of Ray-Ray McCloud in years past. But the biggest change is how quickly Zachariah Branch has rocketed up the depth chart, and he may force his way into the starting lineup by the time Week 1 arrives.
Branch provides an explosive element to the passing game that Atlanta otherwise lacks. He’s an elite separator who can stress the defense vertically and horizontally, and is probably the Falcons best yards-after-catch weapon outside of Bijan Robinson. Branch offers Atlanta a quick game target who can turn a screen or a jet sweep into a big play, while also flashing deep speed to test an opponent’s coverage. Zaccheaus is a more polished player at this stage, but Branch is a lot more electric.
We’re also going to see the middle of the field targeted much more frequently under Stefanski and Tommy Rees. Drags, digs, crossers, smash concepts, slants, we saw it all in the first seven days of training camp. There’s a clear emphasis on getting these quarterbacks and receivers used to running middle of the field concepts. That’s a big departure from Zac Robinson’s passing game, which seemed to deliberately exclude some of those concepts.
Another major departure from Robinson’s pass concepts is that every single skill position player is a potential target. For Atlanta, that means a lot more targets to the tight end—all of them. Austin Hooper was heavily targeted throughout training camp, and Charlie Woerner caught more passes in a few team sessions than he was targeted in all of 2025. The Falcons are going to force defenses to respect the threat of the tight end escaping into the flat or chipping and leaking on every single play. For those hoping Bijan retains his passing game role from 2025, you don’t need to worry. The running back will continue to be a staple of the passing game.
The offensive lineman to watch? Ethan Onianwa
The Falcons have been without presumptive right tackle starter Jawaan Taylor for the entirety of the summer and training camp—until today, when it was announced that he was finally cleared to return to practice. In that time, Atlanta has tried a variety of players out at the right tackle spot. Michael Jerrell, who the team traded for last summer, got the majority of the first team work early. Recently-added Brandon Walton mixed in a bit as well. But towards the end of my week (and even more so in recent days, per reports), it was actually rookie Ethan Onianwa who continued to impress the coaching staff and earn more reps.
Onianwa was a divisive seventh-round pick among fans. The 6’7, 330 tackle played four good seasons at Rice and was a major transfer portal addition for Ohio State prior to the 2025 season. Onianwa struggled with injuries and failed to solidify a starting spot, derailing his NFL hopes. Atlanta apparently liked the Rice tape and Onianwa’s immense (pardon the pun) potential enough to draft him in the seventh round, ahead of a number of other more heralded prospects.
Needless to say, I had zero expectations for Onianwa as a rookie. I had hoped he’d have a solid training camp and preseason and fight for a roster spot, but thought the practice squad was his likely home. Instead, Onianwa has arguably been the most impressive right tackle candidate thus far. He seems to have outplayed several more established players, and is slowly earning the trust of the coaching staff. Onianwa possesses truly rare physical gifts, which help raise his floor. If he can impress enough to even earn the swing tackle role out of camp, that would be a big boost to a very shaky tackle room.
The defensive front will continue to be multiple
I didn’t notice any major schematic changes from Jeff Ulbrich going into his second season as the defensive coordinator. We saw plenty of 5-2-4 looks in base along with 4-2-5 nickel sets, and various other subpackages. Creative and aggressive blitzes will continue to be a staple, as we saw a number of slot corner blitzes, A-gap blitzes, and everything in between.
The biggest question now is what the Falcons do to replace Jalon Walker. There’s been a lot of chatter about Harold Perkins Jr. taking on a similar role, and I would expect him to get opportunities to rush the passer and blitz from the A-gap. But the player with the biggest opportunity to step up might be former third-rounder Bralen Trice. Trice is one of the team’s biggest edge rushers and was known for his stout run defense in college. Walker was Atlanta’s best run defending edge in 2025, so Trice could potentially fill in for him in the base defense. While Trice isn’t the sack finisher or elite athlete that Walker is, he was one of the most elite pressure-generators in college football. If Trice can simply provide high-level run defense while creating pressure on early downs, that could give the Falcons a decent chunk of Walker’s snaps.
Speaking of linebacker, the Falcons seem to be working on ways to use all the players they have. We know Divine Deablo is the new leader of the defense, and that veteran Christian Harris is likely to start next to him. Beyond that, the team is working in a heavy rotation of both rookies, Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. Daniels is the biggest linebacker in the room and has a lot more coverage experience than you’d expect, while Perkins is a rare athlete and talented pass rusher who simply lacks size. I don’t know how many snaps those guys will play, or how quickly they’ll get on the field in the regular season. I do know that Atlanta is working hard to find an effective role for them, even if it’s just a rotational one early on.
Mike Hughes looks like the CB2, slot defender is wide open
It might surprise some people, but the most impressive cornerback of training camp has been veteran Mike Hughes. The oft-maligned starter has been with the Falcons for some time, but finally found his home as a solid outside cornerback across from A.J. Terrell. There was a lot of speculation about second-round rookie Avieon Terrell taking over the job in training camp, but that hasn’t happened. Instead, Hughes has impressed throughout and looks entrenched as one of the team’s top corners.
That’s not to say that Avieon Terrell hasn’t been impressive. He had his best practice of camp on my final day, opening 11-on-11 with a great interception of Tua Tagovailoa and showing off his physicality in run defense and against screen passes. Terrell has split time between outside and the slot, but I still think he should be Atlanta’s Week 1 starter inside. The rest of the competitors in that room have left the door wide open for Terrell at this stage.
A.J. Woods began camp as the starting slot, but looked outclassed by the talent level he was facing. Veteran Darnay Holmes has been more consistent, but also hasn’t exactly flashed high level play. The most interesting other competitor might be safety Sydney Brown, who played the slot in some “big nickel” looks throughout the first week of camp. I have a hard time believing Brown would be a full-time starter there—I just don’t think he can reliably keep up with shiftier slot receivers—but he could certainly factor in.
Also notable in the secondary: Jessie Bates III has been missing quite a bit of practice time. I thought Sydney Brown or Jammie Robinson might get the call-up in Bates absence, but instead it’s been DeMarcco Hellams playing opposite Xavier Watts. It seems the team has a defined role for Brown, and that Hellams is more of a primary depth piece than I thought.
Intense special teams competition will determine final roster spots
This is something you could say about every roster, but I think it’s worth repeating. There are a number of impressive bottom-of-the-roster candidates on this Falcons squad, and I imagine fans will be watching the preseason games closely to see who stands out on offense and defense. That’s all well and good, but fans should be watching the special teams reps just as closely. The Falcons have been rotating a lot of players at the gunner spots and on special teams in general, and those who thrive there will have the inside track to making this team over those who don’t.
Stay tuned for more training camp coverage here at The Falcoholic. The preseason starts this Friday, with Atlanta taking on the Denver Broncos.
