What we learned from the Falcons’ first training camp practice

FLOWERY BRANCH — Alex Van Pelt watched one, then another, then another. His voice kept rising.

“Wheeeww,” the Falcons quarterbacks coach said, admiring as Michael Penix Jr., then Jack Strand, then Cooper Rush took their under-center snaps, rolled to their left and fired passes into the designated square embedded within the net.

That was a highlight. Sort of, anyways, on a day as bizarre as Wednesday.

The Falcons started training camp without Tua Tagovailoa, who had a back injury flare up, according to coach Kevin Stefanski. Penix didn’t participate in 11-on-11 periods and said it might be another four weeks until he’s cleared. Strand is a rookie, undrafted out of Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead.

And Rush? About 24 hours before the Falcons opened training camp, and at the time when veterans arrived, Rush was training at home in Dallas. He cut his workout short and caught a plane to Flowery Branch, where he worked out early Wednesday morning, signed a contract and practiced.

He barely had enough time to meet his teammates. Receiver Jahan Dotson didn’t get his introduction to Rush until they were in the huddle.

Rush has an entire playbook to learn with a week’s worth of clothes packed. It might be a similar process trying to recap everything Wednesday delivered, from quarterback news to Bijan Robinson’s absence and depth chart notes.

Here are some observations from Wednesday’s practice.

Tagovailoa appeared … briefly, similar to his expected absence

Stefanski said he expects Tagovailoa to be back “sooner than later.” During the team’s quarterback meeting Tuesday night, Van Pelt named Strand as the primary option for “a few days at least,” one source told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Perhaps, Stefanski said, that means a return later this week.

Tagovailoa didn’t throw any passes, but he eventually joined his fellow quarterbacks on the practice field to watch and chat.

Bijan healthy, but not participating

Star running back Bijan Robinson joined his teammates on the field and smiled, laughed and joked around with his fellow ball carriers during practice. But he didn’t have his helmet, and he didn’t take any snaps.

The Falcons didn’t provide an official reason for Robinson’s absence, but it’s believed he’s fully healthy, which points toward a contract hold-in. Although he has two years remaining on his current deal, buzz has built around Robinson being the next in the Falcons’ line of contract extensions for young playmakers.

In his place, Brian Robinson Jr. took the bulk of the carries, followed by Tyler Goodson, Nathan Carter and Cash Jones. Carter was the most impressive from an efficiency perspective, hitting several quality gains.

Penix effective in 7-on-7

Penix said he feels “great” and can do anything asked of him, but he and the team want to avoid a situation where a player falls on his foot and causes harm before his surgically repaired ACL is fully healed.

In the meantime, he diced the Falcons’ defense Wednesday. He went 6-for-8 passing, including 2-for-4 on throws 20-plus yards downfield. He scrambled left and connected with Robinson Jr. down the left sideline on his second throw. One snap later, he delivered an in-stride dime to rookie receiver Zachariah Branch for a 45-yard touchdown.

Penix connected on a pass with receiver Dylan Drummond over the middle for a nice gain, and he hit Branch, tight end Charlie Woerner and receiver Drake London on underneath throws.

All told, Penix had a strong day.

“I think he put his best foot forward,” right guard Chris Lindstrom said after practice, “and looking forward to seeing where that goes.”

Elsewhere, Strand went 2-for-4 passing, and three of his four attempts were underneath. He took a downfield shot to receiver Dylan Drummond that was nearly intercepted. Rush, on his first day, went 1-for-2 with an underneath completion to Woerner and a left-sideline shot to receiver Chris Blair that was batted down by corner Cobee Bryant.

With Taylor on PUP, Jerrell sticks with first-team offensive line

The Falcons spent all of OTAs and mandatory minicamp with Michael Jerrell as their starting right tackle, while veteran free agent signee Jawaan Taylor worked on a side field. That figured to change in training camp, but Taylor, who’s battling an undisclosed injury, was placed on the PUP list — physically unable to perform — and didn’t practice Wednesday.

So Jerrell, who started three games for the Seahawks in 2024 and appeared in one game for the Falcons in 2025, once again took his place as the first-team right tackle.

“He’s been great,” Lindstrom said.

Taylor’s timeline remains unclear, but Stefanski said the battle to fill in is open. It could be Jerrell, or it could be Wanya Morris, whom the Falcons acquired in a trade with the Chiefs in June.

“You can’t just say, ‘All right, it’s this guy,’” Stefanski said. “You have to work everybody in there. I think Coach (Bill) Callahan has a very good plan on not just moving guys in one spot. You got to be ready to play all across that line.”

Defensive depth chart alignment

Before addressing players, a quick aside for the staff: Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich wasn’t present because of a personal matter, according to the team.

On the field, the most surprising development came at nickel corner, with A.J. Woods receiving first-team snaps in 7-on-7. Woods, a third-year pro who’s never played in a regular-season game, rotated at times with the first-team unit during OTAs but figured to be behind the group in training camp. Instead, he ascended.

Here’s an across-the-board look at the starting unit in a 3-4 look:

• Defensive line: Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London, Da’Shawn Hand
• Edge: Jalon Walker, Samson Ebukam
• Linebacker: Divine Deablo, Christian Harris
• Cornerback: A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes
• Safety: Jessie Bates III, Xavier Watts

Rookie linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. worked with the second-string unit. It was Daniels’ practice debut,; he missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp because of a calf injury, and his lanky 6-foot-5, 242-pound frame jumped out. Perkins, meanwhile, aligned as both an off-ball linebacker and as a pass rusher over center.