Open practice count: 3 of 11 | See all dates
Most notable player: Pearce. The first-round draft pick seemed to really be giving it his all Sunday, whether that be during pass rush or coverage. He was in the backfield. He batted down a pass. His involvement in the multiple skirmishes proved he wasn’t holding back on his teammates. Oh, he also was involved on special teams with kickoff coverage.
Say what now: “I laugh only because when it happened, I told the DBs, ‘As long as y’all don’t jump in, y’all good. We’ll spare y’all. Just don’t jump in.’ Other than that, we let the big boys tussle it out,” said wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III on not getting involved in the fights.
Song of the day: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne (1980). RIP, Osbourne. The singer died Tuesday at 76 years old.
Roll call: Defensive lineman Zach Harrison and edge rusher Jalon Walker were missing for the majority of practice but were along the sideline during late 11-on-11 work. They did not participate.
— Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was in attendance with his two sons, Marshall and Johnny.
— Kicking battle: For the first time this training camp, there was live field-goal practice on the main field. Younghoe Koo made four of his five attempts (good from 37, 40, 47 and 53 yards out; miss from 47 yards). Lenny Krieg made all five of his attempts (good from 33, 37, 47, 50 and 55 yards out).
— Quarterback stats: During 11-on-11 work, Penix completed 13 of his 16 passes. Kirk Cousins hit six of his 11. Easton Stick was 2-of-2.
— Receiver redemption: After a rough Saturday, London caught all three of the passes Penix threw his way Sunday. Two of them were on those back-to-back plays with fights. When he caught the second pass, which was a deep shot, London punted the ball out of excitement, only to turn around and see attention drawn elsewhere. His third and final catch, though, was a 10-yard touchdown against the first-team defense during red-zone work.
— Notable moments: Cornerback Dontae Manning broke up an end-zone pass from Penix to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge. Safety Jessie Bates III did so between Cousins and tight end Joshua Simon. Cornerback Mike Hughes, on the last play of the day, forced an incompletion from Cousins to wide receiver Nick Nash.
— Names to watch: Carlos Washington Jr. is building a strong case for himself as the Falcons’ third running back. Teagan Quitoriano is doing the same at tight end.
What’s next: The Falcons hold their fourth open practice Tuesday at IBM Performance Field.
Countdown to kickoff: There are 42 days until the Falcons’ Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | See full schedule
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