Falcons rookie Jalon Walker falling behind after missing second practice in a row

FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons rookie outside linebacker Jalon Walker, who missed his second practice Tuesday, is falling behind early in training camp.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Walker, who also missed Sunday’s practice, was part of a modified practice program.

Walker, who played at Georgia, was the 15th overall player taken in the draft. He was drafted to help the Falcons improve their dormant pass rush. He participated in the first practice Thursday and the second Saturday.

“Obviously, we would love for him to get the reps,” Falcons outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith said Tuesday. “As far as anything other than that, I’m not a doctor. I’m not going to say when he goes and when he doesn’t. I’m going to defer that to somebody else (Morris). But obviously, you know, he needs the reps.”

First padded practice: The Falcons went through their first padded practice without any major fights Tuesday.

In their last practice Sunday, a couple of fights broke out, and rookie outside linebacker James Pearce Jr., a first-round pick (26th overall), was in the center of both.

“It was good to get the guys out there and implement the physicality to camp that you want,” Morris said.

He was not pleased about the fights Sunday.

“We got a little physical the other day,” Morris said. “Probably a little too physical for my liking. But I love the intent. I love what we have, and it was probably the perfect time for us to put on pads.”

Pearce got into battles with center Ryan Neuzil, and left guard Matthew Bergeron came over to settle things. Pearce later got tangled up with right tackle Kaleb McGary. He appeared to be getting the offensive linemen upset with his speed and aggressive play.

“It was a little bit of both,” Morris said. “I hate the other (jersey) color right now, and it is what it is. … It was actually really good intent. Really good physicality. But you like to avoid the little bit of skirmish that happened because you don’t want to waste time. Time is precious for these guys. It made us cancel our developmental period.”

There was one little disagreement between tight end Feleipe Franks and linebacker Kaden Elliss near the end of practice Tuesday.

“I do love the way they were able to bounce back and practice,” Morris said. “There was nothing else.”

No hard feelings: There was no carryover from the fight for Bergeron, who was screaming disparaging remarks about Pearce.

“That stays on the field,” Bergeron said. “Once we get in the locker room, we are all brothers. It happens everywhere with every team. That’s how we get better. It just shows how passionate the players are and how the intensity of practice has been.”

Bergeron didn’t have any issues Tuesday.

“It’s one of the most intense camps that I’ve been a part of,” Bergeron said. “That’s because players care a lot, and we want to start off the season right.”

Coaching points: Pearce was under control Tuesday, and the offensive linemen were at peace.

“You want it more controlled to where you are not losing reps and wasting time,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time to do it. So, you want to do it in a controlled way.”

Smith didn’t try to calm Pearce after the battles Sunday.

“Nothing, just lock back in and get ready for the next play,” Smith said. “Just let him know that I was not taking him out. He has got to learn how to play through this type of stuff. He’s got to learn how to prove himself.”

Pearce has been impressive: Pearce reported for camp in shape and ready to go and has displayed rush ability and the ability to play the run.

“We’ve been seeing everything we wanted to see from him,” Smith said. “It’s just how quickly can he continue to adapt to the speed of the game. How quickly can he continue to adapt to the speed of the game? How quickly can he make sure he’s doing his assignment right so that we don’t have a ton of mental errors?”

Some highlights: Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair made a spectacular one-handed grab in practice.

“Just a little choice route that I had,” Blair said. “Mike asked did I know what I had. I kind of figured when he asked me that, that he was coming to me. Gave me a chance to make a play. I just came down with it.”

Wide receiver Drake London made several nice catches, including one on a deep ball on a double-move route.

Ellis had a nice breakup of a pass intended for Franks early in practice. They would later get into a scuffle and had to be separated.