MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. –– The Falcons and Dolphins' final joint practice in Miami ended on a note no one wanted or saw coming.
During one of the final 11-on-11 periods of practice, the Falcons' second-team offense was up against the Dolphins' second-team defense. Michael Penix Jr. tried to hit Josh Ali in the back right corner of the end zone for a touchdown. He overshot the receiver and the pass fell incomplete. It was a normal, run-of-the-mill play, until all eyes turned to the opposite corner of the end zone where wide receiver Rondale Moore lay, being attended to by team doctors and trainers. It was a lower-body injury, and happened away from where the main action of the play was happening.
A cart was immediately brought out for Moore, and a temporary air cast was applied. Trainers strapped him to a stretcher before loading him onto the cart and taking him into the facility.
In the immediate aftermath, play stopped on all fields and Falcons players gathered around Moore. Once he was carted off the field, practice ended entirely and Bijan Robinson led a prayer with the team and coaches.
"It's heartbreaking," Grady Jarrett said post-practice. "Not much of a heartbreak like it."
Moore came to the Falcons via a trade with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason in exchange for former quarterback Desmond Ridder. In the Falcons' recently released depth chart, Moore was listed as a backup to Darnell Mooney.
Though he had been frequently working with the second team throughout much of training camp, Moore's reps with the first team and Kirk Cousins had seemed to increase in the last few days as pads came on.
Notes and observations
Offense (Tori McElhaney)
Roll call: Raheem Morris announced before practice that backup center Ryan Neuzil would not participate in Wednesday's session because of a calf strain. Jovaughn Gwyn was seen taking the second-team reps in Neuzil's absence.
Outside linebacker Bralen Trice was back at practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday's practice because of an illness. Morris said the Falcons would ease him back into work because of the heat and humidity.
A note on preseason playing time: Morris was specifically asked Wednesday about who would play for the Falcons in their first preseason game Friday. He said that the staff had not built out a complete plan for playing time, but did ensure that Penix would get a good amount of time.
As for Cousins, Morris stood by his comments from earlier in camp that the expectations should be that you won't see Cousins too much in a live-game scenario this preseason, "if any," Morris added. This doesn't mean Cousins isn't fully cleared and full-go in practices. Morris doubled-down that he is.
Tempers flare, again: The Falcons' first-team offense and the Dolphins' first-team defense have been boiling in their ire since the start of Tuesday's practice. Those feelings carried over into Wednesday when two sideline-clearing skirmishes took place in the first 11-on-11 periods. By the time the second one got broken up, coaches huddled both teams together to set them straight. There were no other run-ins for the remainder of practice.
Red zone work, by the numbers: The first-team offense put together a couple notable plays in this period of work. Cousins connected with Drake London right at the goal line from about 10 yards out. It was a contested and physical grab by London with Jalen Ramsey draped around him.
A few players later, Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary created a significantly sized run lane for Tyler Allgeier to get into the end zone. It was one of my favorite play designs of the entire day.
Cousins was 2 for 2 in this period, hitting Bijan Robinson and London. He handed the ball off to Robinson and Allgeier five times. In the second-team period, Penix was 1 for 3 with a short pass to Ross Dwelley. He had the right idea on his first incompletion, trying to hit Casey Washington in 1-on-1 coverage in the back of the end zone, but Washington couldn't hold on as his defender broke up the pass. Penix handed the ball off to either Carlos Washington or Jase McClellan three times. The second-team red zone period felt a bit shorter because Miami's defense jumped offsides on two consecutive plays.
The rest of practice, by the numbers: By my count, Cousins was 12 for 15 through the air, connecting with seven different receivers. It was a much better day for the Falcons' offense, overall, from one practice to the next. After going 0 for 3 to start Tuesday's joint practice in full team drills, Cousins came out Wednesday completing nine of his first 10 passes.
Penix finished the day 8 of 15 through the air. He connected with four different receivers.
Defense (Terrin Waack)
Stay tuned: Falcons defensive back Harrison Hand was beat on a pass to Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington, deep down the right sideline. Both went down in the process. Hand, however, limped off the field afterward and was not seen again in action. No update was provided on his status.
Dominant defense: Overall, the Falcons carried over their strong defensive performance from Tuesday, which McElhaney wrote about in the Camp Report. The two of us switched viewpoints Wednesday, so I was able to see what all the hype was about.
The first-team unit didn't allow any touchdowns against Miami's offense. The second teamers allowed three in total, all from within the red zone but across different periods. They were all touchdowns the Dolphins sneaked by the Falcons secondary.
What was fun to watch but difficult to keep track of was all the rotations. I'd write down the starting defense, and then it would change on the very next play. Morris has emphasized wanting to create concrete depth so, if a starter does get injured during the season, someone else can slide in with no bumps in the transition.
Some of the less common names – but becoming more common – include outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone, defensive lineman Eddie Goldman, cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. and more. Multiple players are getting important reps. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out as the 53-man roster cut deadline nears.
Flowers to AK: Outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie popped early, earning a sack on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first period of 11-on-11 work, which took place in the red zone. Ebiketie's teammates did a well-enough job defending their assignments that Tagovailoa couldn't find anyone to throw the ball to. As Tagovailoa scrambled, Ebiketie burst through for the tag.
That may have been Ebiketie's sole sack of the morning, but he made his way back into the pocket again during 11-on-11, forcing a mad incomplete pass from Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson.
Essentially, no matter which unit Ebiketie played with, he made his presence felt. This is important to note because for a while there, it seemed as though Trice was pulling further and further ahead of Ebiketie. This isn't to say one is better than the other, rather a rep share that's worth continued watch, especially with Friday's preseason opener around the corner.
Mentionable moments: Let's just take a look inside my notebook.
-- Falcons outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone's speed really showed during a second-team play. He tried to shake a block and get to Dolphins quarterback Mike White, when White released the ball. The pass was completed. And as soon as it was, Malone was quickly nearby and running after the receiver. It was as if Malone had been in the vicinity already, but he hadn't.
-- Falcons safety Richie Grant had two near-interceptions off Tagovailoa. One was a pass over the middle near midfield. The other was more impressive because Grant actually cut the receiver's route off and jumped to grab the ball as it headed towards the end zone. He came up just a bit short of completing the snag, though.
-- There were a few times where Dolphins wide receivers did beat the Falcons defensive backs, mainly the backups. That's inevitable. What was good to see, though, was Atlanta responding in a fiery fashion, specifically deep along the sidelines.
One of the best examples came from cornerback Jayden Price. Thompson tossed a deep ball to Washington along the right sideline. Price got a hand on it, which actually bounced the ball higher in the air for a hot second. Falcons safety Dane Cruikshank raced over to grab it, but upon hitting the ground, he lost control of the ball. A loud expletive left his mouth afterward, highlighting the defense's competitive mindset on the afternoon.
