Will Falcons play starters in preseason? Here’s Stefanski’s philosophy.
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons will likely play their starters in two of their three preseason games, coach Kevin Stefanski said after Friday’s training camp practice.
“I do think, in general, it’s good to play in the preseason,” Stefanski said. “Now, the number of plays varies, of course. We’ll really treat the first game and the third game as games that we’ll play some of our starters.”
That puts the Falcons’ starters in line to play versus the Denver Broncos on Aug. 14 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and again Aug. 30 against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The Falcons’ second preseason game — an Aug. 22 bout with the Indianapolis Colts — follows two joint practices at the Colts’ training complex. So, the majority of the reps the Falcons take against the Colts will go to their starters, albeit in a practice setting.
How much action the first unit sees, Stefanski said, remains unclear. Every team is different, and so are its needs. His philosophy, however, remains steady.
“We’ll work through our plan for the first and third game,” Stefanski said, “but in general, I think for guys to get ready to play football, you got to play football.”
The Falcons don’t have their quarterback plan finalized, either.
Michael Penix Jr., who’s eight months removed from suffering a torn ACL in November, told reporters Wednesday he may not be cleared for 11-on-11 participation for another four weeks. If so, he’d be cleared around the same time as the preseason finale against the Dolphins, though whether the Falcons would immediately put him on the field is unclear.
Tua Tagovailoa’s situation is less dire, but still unsettled. Tagovailoa’s back tightened last week and he’s been limited through three training camp practices. He’s no stranger to preseason experience — he’s started two games in four of the past five exhibition seasons.
Stefanski said the Falcons will evaluate their quarterback plan “when we get to those games” in August.
“We’ll have those kinds of discussions leading into every game,” Stefanski said. “But by and large, we’ll have a plan that will vary based on what we feel like that player needs to get ready for the season.”
Under previous coach Raheem Morris, the Falcons didn’t play a majority of their starters during the exhibition slate. Stefanski’s approach differs, and the Falcons, who lost both of their season openers under Morris, hope it’ll lead to a faster start.