FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — An opportunity has presented itself within the Atlanta Falcons secondary, and so far, it appears safety Micah Abernathy has best seized it.
On Monday, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said safety DeMarcco Hellams will be out for a significant amount of time due to an ankle injury. Hellams is still listed as the Falcons' backup safety on the latest depth chart – behind starters Jessie Bates III and Richie Grant. But Hellams' status for a future return is unknown.
Hellams started alongside Grant in the Falcons' opening loss to the Miami Dolphins last Friday.
"We're anxious to see OK, if DeMarcco isn't going to play this week, who's going to be the next guy?" Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said Monday. "Who's going to be out there? What if Jessie's not in, who's going to be the next guy? We're always looking for that next safety that's going to help us. Can you be a really, really good guy on special teams, not take a lot of (defensive) reps, but if your number is called, can you go out there and make those plays?"
Well, on Thursday, Abernathy showed he can do just that.
As the second-team defense faced the first-team offense in 11-on-11 work, Abernathy picked off quarterback Kirk Cousins' pass intended for wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Abernathy got a good return off the interception, too, where it could've turned into a touchdown if in a game.
"(Abernathy) is somebody that I feel like a lot of people label him as a special teams player, which he's great, which is fine," Bates said Thursday, "but he's continued to, every day, just get better at his craft as a safety as well. He has all the ability to be great at it. For him to get an interception off Kirk today, and then he fit a couple runs down there in the red zone, it's just the standard. That's the standard of our DB room. It's good to see when one of your brothers – one of my roommates over there – is making plays."
Abernathy was listed as a backup safety on the latest depth chart. The difference between him and Hellams, though, is Abernathy has far fewer defensive snaps on his resume. Abernathy took 3% of the Falcons' defensive snaps in 2023, while Hellams took 37% with four starts there, too.
Preseason is where Abernathy can prove himself, though. He did take 41% of the Falcons' defensive snaps against the Dolphins. So, this Saturday presents another rise-to-the-occasion opportunity.
The following has nothing to do with the ongoing safety battle, but Abernathy wasn't the only player to have an interception Thursday. The other deserves some love, too. Even though he's already a starting cornerback.
A.J. Terrell picked off quarterback Michael Penix Jr. when the first-team defense took on the second-team office in 11-on-11 work. The pass was intended for wide receiver OJ Hiliare.
"Yeah, 1-on-1, you got to give your guy a chance and that's what I did," Penix said. "A.J. made a good play. He was out of bounds, though."
From this reporter's eyes, the play was too far away to confidently confirm or deny Penix's claim.
The defense reacted positively nonetheless. Just like it did for Abernathy.
"Coach (Justin) Hood challenged us," Bates said. "We got to start attacking the ball out of the air. … For it to show up in practice, and we're actually getting some turnovers, it's good."
