What we learned from Falcons’ 10th camp practice: QBs flash, rookies rise

FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons’ loudest moment of trash talk during Monday’s training camp practice came from two unlikely sources.

Bijan Robinson took a handoff, darted to the right side and, in a game setting, may have taken a big hit. Here, on the Falcons’ practice field in Flowery Branch, he runs free.

The latter is a point of contention. Kendal Daniels says no. With a bit of colorful language, Daniels told Robinson he would’ve been down. There they were, the star running back and the fourth-round rookie linebacker, jawing it out while they ran back to their respective huddles Monday afternoon.

“That’s my big brother now,” Daniels said after practice. “He looks after me, and just going against him all the time and being able to joke about the games we played against each other (in college), it’s very fun.”

Daniels ascended into a bigger role on the Falcons’ defense Monday. He unlocked a new level there, and with his trash talk. That’s one takeaway from the team’s 10th training camp practice. Here’s the rest of our notebook:

Tagovailoa does something new, Penix impresses

For the first time in training camp, Tua Tagovailoa took 7-on-7 snaps, going 2-for-4 passing while hitting receiver Olamide Zaccheaus for a 20-plus-yard gain down the right side. He was more aggressive pushing the ball downfield, something that carried into his 11-on-11 session, where he went 4-for-6 passing.

Tagovailoa threaded a tight window over the middle to tight end Kyle Pitts, who was blanketed by cornerback A.J. Terrell, for a near-20-yard pickup. Tagovailoa nearly hit an explosive play to Dotson down the left side but overthrew it.

The 28-year-old also threw several well-placed passes in one-on-ones, including a tight-window touchdown to Zaccheaus and a precise comeback to receiver Jahan Dotson.

Terrell intercepted Tagovailoa’s pass to receiver Drake London in one-on-ones, but the latter won a matchup later in the period.

Here’s a look at Tagovailoa’s passing charts from 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, courtesy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s new data tool:

Michael Penix Jr. went 9-for-11 passing in 7-on-7s Monday, including an interception to cornerback Clark Phillips III. Phillips sat on a curl route and jumped a pass intended for undrafted rookie receiver Le’Meke Brockington, taking it the other way to close the possession.

Penix had two particularly impressive throws. He dropped one in the bucket to Pitts, who hauled it in through tight coverage from Terrell. On another, he found rookie receiver Zachariah Branch on a deep cross toward the right sideline. Branch beat cornerback Darren Hall by multiple steps and didn’t have to break stride to catch Penix’s pass.

Also of note, Penix ditched the pocket and moved with adequate pace on a left-side scramble, which resulted in a throwaway. But his willingness to move and break contain is an important step in his recovery from the torn ACL suffered last November.

Here’s Penix’s passing chart:

Elsewhere, Cooper Rush went 2-for-3 passing, but with an interception to safety Xavier Watts, who capitalized on what appeared to be miscommunication between receivers Dylan Drummond and Zachariah Branch — they were in the same spot, and Rush motioned toward them after the play.

Undrafted rookie Jack Strand didn’t complete any of his three attempts.

Strand’s most impressive throw was an incomplete pass on a deep shot down the left sideline to receiver Keelan Marion. The pass hit the fingertips of Marion’s outstretched arms but fell incomplete. It was Strand’s longest, most aggressive throw of training camp.

Rookie LBs run the show

Without Divine Deablo, who missed the practice because of an ankle injury suffered in Saturday night’s practice at Lanier High School, the Falcons turned to Daniels and fellow rookie Harold Perkins Jr. to man the middle of their defense.

Daniels usually has the green dot on his helmet with the second team defense and took over primary responsibilities Monday. Perkins and Daniels each made plays against the run in team periods, and Daniels’ comfort being vocal was particularly impressive.

Christian Harris, who largely worked next to Deablo during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, took a majority of the second-string snaps alongside J.D. Bertrand.

Harris appears in the mix to start, but the rookies may have surpassed him.

Taylor practices … sort of, while Onianwa gets bulk of starting reps

The Falcons signed Jawaan Taylor to be their presumptive starter at right tackle in early April. Over four months later, Taylor participated in his first practice with the team, going through warmups and individual drills.

Taylor didn’t see any action in 11-on-11 periods — and the majority of the first-team snaps at right tackle went to Ethan Onianwa, a seventh-round rookie from Ohio State.

Onianwa has rotated with Michael Jerrell and Brandon Walton for much of the past week. Jerrell and Walton largely worked with the second-string offensive line Monday, the former at left tackle and the latter at right tackle. Jerrell also saw first-team snaps, but the 6-foot-7, 331-pound Onianwa led the way.

Harrison returns, gets brief reps with first-team

The Falcons are bringing along defensive lineman Zach Harrison, who spent the first week of training camp on the physically unable to perform list while battling an undisclosed injury. Harrison participated in team periods for the first time Monday, taking a handful of snaps split between the first- and third-string unit.

The Falcons’ defensive line and five-man front in light of Jalon Walker’s injury continues to take shape. Samson Ebukam and Cameron Thomas project as starting outside linebackers, while Maason Smith, Chris Williams and LaCale London have seen the bulk of early-down work. Brandon Dorlus has been a fixture, too, especially on passing downs.

James Pearce Jr., who remains under investigation by the league office stemming from his Feb. 7 arrest for an alleged altercation with ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson, largely worked with the third-string unit.

Dotson impresses, Branch levels up

After a relatively quiet training camp, Dotson stood out Monday, impressing during one-on-ones and catching two passes during the team period. On the downfield shot that Tagovailoa overthrew, Dotson had multiple steps on nickel corner Darnay Holmes.

Dotson has been the Falcons’ No. 2 receiver since signing with the team in March, and while his status appears cemented, more days like Monday will only help shush questions about his legitimacy as London’s primary complement.

Speaking of complements, Branch has seemingly graduated from Opportunity Period University. The Falcons have started opportunity periods at the end of practice for their young, or lower-depth-chart, players to get more snaps. Branch participated in the periods earlier during camp but spent this one watching off to the side, smiling and laughing with London.

Branch also checked another box off his developmental bucket list: a snap with the first-team offense. He came across the offense, motioning right to left in a formation that also included Dotson and Pitts.