Falcons training camp 2025: Day 1 recap and practice notes

It’s life’s consistencies which sometimes bring us the most comfort. Two major consistencies which we experience in late July collide, coming together in the form of the Georgia heat and Atlanta Falcons Training Camp, both of which descended upon Flowery Branch like the expected guests they are.

Raheem Morris kicked things off with his pre camp press conference, announcing a major injury update (we’ll get to that) and talking about how TE Kyle Pitts Sr. has been cleared to return following a foot ailment which kept him out of minicamp (we’ll get to that as well).

Both Adnan and Kevin are present for camp, scoping things out from two different vantage points, with Adnan patrolling the sidelines and Kevin on the hill.

Speaking of the hill, it was packed with the return of fans who were unable to be present last year due to construction which was taking place around the facility.

Here are some of our observations from Day 1 of Falcons Training Camp this year!

Troy Andersen starts camp on the “Physically Unable to Perform” list

It was not a great update from Coach Morris before practice began, with the announcement that ILB Troy Andersen would be placed on the “PUP” list to start camp. This sort of move only happens when an absence is expected to be indefinite.

Morris noted that Andersen is “on track” and that the team is optimistic about his return, but no specifics were given regarding a timeline.

Andersen is one of the players the team is hoping can finally put it all together, but injuries have derailed much of his career so far, as he has missed 25 out of a possible 34 games since his rookie season. It’s not the best start to year 4, as he will be unable to practice until he comes off the PUP list.

Kyle Pitts stands out and gets talked up

One of the main players to watch going into this season will be Kyle Pitts, who has failed to live up to his lofty draft expectations and who is currently in the last year of his rookie contract (the fifth year option).

For all the noise surrounding him, Pitts was a standout today. He was the recipient of QB Michael Penix Jr.’s first and third passes in 11-on-11 drills against the second team defense, going for a huge gain down each sideline. That second reception may have gone for a long touchdown in a real game.

Pitts was talked up heavily by Penix in the post practice press conference in front of the media. The second year signal caller noted that he got Pitts the ball a lot today and that “there’s gonna be a lot of that.”

For what it’s worth, Penix did gush over how close he’s gotten with his starting tight end, noting that they are golf partners and that their connection off the field will help them on it.

Michael Penix starts off hot but then the defense settles in

Following the usual Day 1 ramp up featuring walk throughs, stretching and your standard wide receiver routes against air, we got right into 11-on-11s with the first team offense (led by Michael Penix) facing the second team defense, and the second team offense (led by QB Kirk Cousins) going against the presumed defensive starters.

It looked like Penix would spend the day dicing up the reserves as he had three first down completions down the sidelines to start things out, two being the aforementioned Pitts receptions with a WR Drake London catch and run sandwiched in between.

The defense wasn’t going down without a fight, however, as Penix went just 2-5 after that, including his two longest throws of the day in terms of air yardage both falling incomplete. The first was a lofty shot to WR Ray Ray McCloud which was broken up beautifully by CB Lamar Jackson.

A few plays later an uncorked 50 yard pass to the sprinting then diving WR Darnell Mooney seemed like it was hauled in but fell incomplete as the impact with the ground both pried the ball loose and shook Mooney up, who left the field under his own power and did not return after that play. Jackson was closest in coverage on that one as well.

The third incompletion was just a miss on a pass to McCloud near the sideline which sailed over his head.

Heavy rotation from the edges, including rookies James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker getting some first team reps

As it should be expected in camp just like in a real game, the coaching staff heavily rotated the players along the defensive line and the edge groupings, giving plenty of players some run with the first team.

Incumbent OLB Arnold Ebikete and veteran free agent signing OLB Leonard Floyd can currently be penciled in as the starters along the edge, but rookie first rounders OLB James Pearce Jr. and OLB Jalon Walker saw some time with every team on defense, including some snaps with the first team.

The coaching staff announced after the draft that they would look at Walker primarily as an edge rusher, amid speculation that he may be moved around everywhere along the front seven, and one day into camp they are true to their word. When Walker was out there it was primarily as the right OLB along the edge in the 3-4.

Kirk Cousins looks sharp with the second team

The most expensive backup quarterback in NFL history and the highest paid player in the building, Kirk Cousins didn’t have all eyes on him the way they were coming into last year’s camp. He settled in with the second team and looked accurate against the first team defense in 11-on-11s.

Cousins overall went 4-5 in the initial 11-on-11 period, but with all four completions being of the short variety. His longest pass of the day and most impressive play was a deep shot intended for WR Casey Washington which drew a long defensive pass interference penalty against CB Mike Hughes, who may have gotten there just a tick early.

Cousins also orchestrated a win in a quick scrimmage against the second team defense, with an 11-yard completion to WR David Sills V being the key play in getting a first down.

Kirk’s lone incompletion of the day came under real pressure in the midst of a collapsing pocket which resulted in a shallow pass to WR Chris Blair falling short of its mark.

First look at Jeff Ulbrich’s defense

There’s been rampant speculation among fans and analysts about how the Falcons would deploy their defense under new coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. In the past, Ulbrich primarily ran the defense of his defensive head coach: Robert Saleh in New York, and Dan Quinn in Atlanta. That left many of us wondering what Ulbrich would run given the choice, since it seems like Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is fairly open-minded with the scheme.

We got our first in-depth look today, and it may come as a mild surprise to many. The Falcons spent almost the entirety of Day 1 in 3-4 alignments, with three down linemen and two stand-up rushers on most downs. Many expected more of a switch to 4-3 fronts given Ulbrich and defensive line coach Nate Ollie’s desire for an “attacking” front.

To be clear, playing a 3-4 alignment doesn’t preclude an “attacking” front or those principles from being a significant part of the scheme. It’s also important to note that this is only Day 1, and further defensive wrinkles may be introduced as camp goes on.

Here are Kevin’s notes on where various players were aligning and the rough pecking order of the depth chart during Thursday’s opening practice:

Stand-up edge rusher (7T or 9T): Arnold Ebiketie, Leonard Floyd, Khalid Kareem, Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr, Bralen Trice

Interior defensive line (5T/4i/3T): Morgan Fox, Ruke Orhorhoro, Zach Harrison, TaQuon Graham, Brandon Dorlus

Nose tackle (0T/1T): David Onyemata

We’ll keep tracking the front and alignments as camp continues.

Other Notes

• It’s really hard to get a gauge of how good the running backs are doing until pads come on (and even then it’s not the easiest), but RB Bijan Robinson can impress no matter the circumstances. Bijan’s elusiveness is otherworldly and drew plenty of oohs and aahs from the crowd whenever he had the ball in his hands. He wound up making ILB JD Bertrand fall on one play in 11-on-11s.
• Penix did not shy away from expectations for the offense this season, noting that their goal was to be ranked number one in the league in “all the categories.”

• S Jordan Fuller has a clear hold of of the strong safety position opposite of S Jessie Bates III to open camp. He was running with the first team while rookie S Xavier Watts was with the second team.
• The RB3 battle looks like it’s mainly being fought by RB Carlos Washington Jr. and RB Nathan Carter right now, with both guys getting plenty of run with the Kirk Cousins-led second team.
• It was initially shocking to see CB Lamar Jackson getting work with the 1st/2nd team, but he more than held his own against Atlanta’s talented receiver room. Jackson, 6’2, 212, is the stoutest corner on the roster and could be a much bigger factor than expected in the battle for the final 53.
• Speaking of cornerback, the slot corner battle appears to be completely open to start training camp. Incumbent starter Dee Alford got the first reps with the ones, but split time evenly with former UDFA Natrone Brooks and fourth-round rookie Billy Bowman Jr. By my eye, Bowman is the only rookie to open camp exclusively with the 1st/2nd team group. That might be a sign that Bowman is coming on quickly—or it might just be a sign that the team doesn’t trust the veterans much at this point.
• It was mentioned above, but WR Darnell Mooney left the field after hitting the ground hard following the deep shot by Penix. The Falcons did not provide an update on Mooney after practice, so we’ll continue to monitor his status heading into the weekend.
• The Falcons announced that the first day in pads would be Tuesday, July 29. So mark your calendars, folks!

If you need more takes or have questions that need answering, join Adnan and Kevin at 8:00 PM ET for our Training Camp Day 1 news and notes show!

That’s it from us for Day 1 of camp. It’s an off day tomorrow before the team has back to back practices on Saturday and Sunday. For more coverage, you can follow us on Twitter (X): Adnan’s Twitter, Kevin’s Twitter.