FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — It was a whacky Wednesday for the Atlanta Falcons.
Upon arriving at the facility around 6 a.m., the power was out. It returned by 7:30 a.m. But the outage had already altered the day's plans.
Practice was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. but switched to 8:15 a.m.
"In my head, I'm like, 'OK, this is a lot different,'" outside linebacker Bralen Trice said. "But I just wanted to lock in. I was like, 'OK, I'm going to flip the switch.'"
He meant mentally. But it literally happened, too.
"The lights came back on," Trice said. "Everything was like a normal day again."
Nonetheless, the Falcons' sixth practice, second in pads, was packed full of action. So, rather than leading with an overall theme, let's get right to the breakdown.
ROLL CALL
All but one player on the 90-man roster were in attendance. Wide receiver Chris Blair was not seen.
REMINDER
Friday's practice will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and open to fans with purchased tickets. That will run from 6-8:30 p.m. There will not be another public practice this training camp.
OBSERVATIONS
-- The defense had six sacks (by my count) on the day in 11-on-11 play. Obviously, the quarterbacks weren't taken to the ground, as they remain in non-contact jerseys, but the point remains. Also, various units went up against each other at different times, so everything should be taken with that context. Sometimes, the first teams matched up. Others, the second-teamers faced the first.
Those who got their hands on Michael Penix Jr. include Trice, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, defensive lineman Kentavius Street, and inside linebacker Milo Eifler. Those who got to Kirk Cousins were inside linebackers Troy Andersen and Kaden Elliss.
Something to keep an eye on: Penix appeared to be limping after the near Trice sack.
Overall, Cousins completed 18 of his 27 passes. Penix completed 11 of his 15.
"I thought it was a practice that tested us a little bit," Cousins said. "I always want practice to be perfect, but it's never going to be, and today, we were far from perfect. But we're getting better. We're learning. And every time we go out there and need to do something better, it's a step closer to where we're trying to get as an offense."
-- There was a notable teaching moment from head coach Raheem Morris when the quarterbacks and wide receivers were working together near the goal line. Wide receiver Casey Washington, one of the Falcons' sixth-round draft picks, caught a pass with a foot on the line of the end zone. Morris applauded the route but also shouted, "Ran out of bounds, young rook." Morris then instructed Washington to slow down his release at the line of scrimmage to give himself more time and space on the back end of the route. It was a balance of praise and critique – and it didn't end there.
Soon after, wide receiver Dylan Drummond ran the same play and also caught the ball. He, however, executed the route exactly how Morris would prefer. So, Morris followed up with Washington, calling attention to Drummond as an example.
Morris remained with this bunch for a good bit, actively engaging with the players. For example, wide receiver Jesse Matthews, who only joined the team Tuesday and has yet to play in a NFL game, caught a pass over starting cornerback A.J. Terrell. Afterward, Morris said to Matthews, "Hey, good catch, young man."
-- Tight end Ross Dwelley had two standout catches during 11-on-11 work with the second-team offense. The first actually came against the first-team defense. His second was against the second-team defense. Both were delivered by Penix.
"I was thinking about it today, like he caught a couple of good balls and everybody is like, 'Oh, OK,'" tight end Charlie Woerner said. "I'm like, 'Nothing I ain't seen for the last four years out in San Francisco.'
"Dwelley is a great football player. He always has really sure hands and just a great blocker, great player. It's not a surprise to see him go have a good training camp so far. I'm excited for him and the day he had today."
Woerner and Dwelley played together with the 49ers from 2020-23. Both were offseason free agent signings for the Falcons.
-- There has been a lot of talk about Ray-Ray McCloud III being WR3 behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney. Wide receiver Rondale Moore, though, earned more reps with the first-team offense. He had back-to-back catches from Cousins during the 11-on-11 session between the two first-team units.
"Rondale's starting to heat up a little bit right now in camp, and that position battle of all those guys is really the vying for playing time," Morris said Tuesday. "I couldn't be more happy and excited about what those guys have done from a detail, from a work ethic, from a go out there and try to go get it mentality."
-- Honorable mention: A referee lost a shoe during the scrimmage, yet he saw through the play.
***BONUS***
Because it was such an action-packed day, Tori McElhaney and Will McFadden also submitted their practice notes.
McELHANEY
-- Back on track: Jimmy Lake and Terry Fontenot made mention of Eddie Goldman in their press conferences Wednesday. They both discussed how much better shape he's in now in July than he was when he reported back to the facility for offseason training. As a refresher, Goldman is someone the Falcons have been trying to get on the field since 2022, having signed him on multiple occasions, but a retirement announcement and a stint on the exempt list last season kept him off of it time and time again. This season, though? He's fully back, and even getting some first-team reps. Lake noted he is pleased with Goldman's work to get back, adding his conditioning has really taken a step this camp as he adjusts back to the game. There's also something to be said about Goldman's relationship with Jay Rodgers, the Falcons defensive line coach and Goldman's former defensive line coach when the two were in Chicago. Lake said there is a high amount of trust between the two as they reunite in Atlanta.
-- An early and obvious connection: Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney's lockers are side-by-side, and Cousins said he's thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mooney. He said he admires Mooney's skills and abilities, and he really believes in the wide receiver gaining "the success he deserves." Cousins went on to say that he sees Mooney -- and a number of other players -- walking around the facility in a "healthy state of rage." He explained this as a state of being in which no one is satisfied. He said Mooney reflects this as well as anybody.
-- CB1 and CB2: As we've noted throughout the last few camp reports, Mike Hughes has been given the nod opposite A.J. Terrell more often than not. Asked about the competition between Hughes and Clark Phillips III for the spot, Lake said that while he really likes what both have provided, Hughes has "earned the right" for the snaps he's been given. This wasn't a knock to Phillips, either, who broke up a few passes Tuesday, Lake said the Falcons are continuing to find value in Phillips' versatility. He particularly noted that he's liked what he's seen from Phillips in the slot.
McFADDEN
-- A.J. Terrell's rep against Darnell Mooney in 1-on-1s was incredible. Very physical without fouling and knocked the pass away.
-- Ray-Ray McCloud III had a one-handed catch against Antonio Hamilton Sr. that was really nice.
-- I believe Terrell had a scoop-and-score early in the 11-on-11 period when it was first-team defense and second-team offense.
-- Defense was really hitting the offense hard at times. Kevin King and Natrone Brooks were two guys I noticed in particular.
-- Hamilton had good pass defense against Drake London on a deep ball down the left sideline.
-- Dee Alford dropped a potential interception on a pass Michael Penix Jr. threw behind Dylan Drummond.
-- Kaden Elliss had a really nice coverage rep on Bijan Robinson in 11-on-11.
-- Kirk Cousins made an excellent move up in the pocket and kind of jumped off his leg to get the ball to Rondale Moore on time.
-- DeMarcco Hellams had a nice pass breakup against KhaDarel Hodge on a late checkdown option. Bad route spacing, though.
-- Clark Phillips III interception against Penix on a pass intended for Moore.
-- Right side of the offensive line has opened some really nice holes.
-- Mooney had a nice adjustment on the left sideline against Mike Hughes to make the catch.
