FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons coach Arthur Smith is set to make his debut against his former team, the Tennessee Titans, at 7 p.m. Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It will be an important game for five players, as the Falcons must trim their roster from 90 players to 85 by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’ve got to make roster moves after this one and the next one,” Smith said. “So, we are kind of sitting here weighing the options, the risk and reward of certain guys we need to see so that we can make sound decisions next week.”
Here are five things that Smith and his staff are set to watch closely in the exhibition opener that several key starters are not expected to play in:
1. The trenches: The Falcons must find the best five offensive linemen and some help for Grady Jarrett along the defensive line.
Defensive tackle Marlon Davidson, a second-round pick in 2020, has been wearing a knee brace and will be closely evaluated.
Rookie outside linebacker Ade Ogundeji, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame, has had a strong training camp. He has 35½-inch arms and a 84-inch wingspan.
“These last couple of years I’ve been trying to use my length as a pass rusher and also in the run game setting the edge,” Ogundeji said.
Outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino has been charged with developing Ogundeji, who needed to work on his fundamentals after starting only one season, as a fifth-year senior, for the Fighting Irish.
“He’s really focused on the details,” Ogundeji said of Monachino. “I think that’s what’s been really helping me get along with this process.”
2. The coverage units: The Falcons were 22nd in the NFL in Rick Gosselin’s special teams’ rankings last season in part because of their poor coverage units.
Smith will pay close attention to the coverage guys on punt and kickoff coverage.
“In the kicking game, guys who can cover,” Smith said. “Ultimately, that is what it comes down to for guys in the middle part of the roster -- are they going to be active? (To be) up on game day you’ve got to help on fourth down. Those are going to be critical downs watching the cover game.”
The Falcons value speed and toughness on the special-teams units.
“That’s huge,” Smith said. “Whether your corners are out there or running backs. (The Falcons are looking for) guys that can be gunners on the punt team. Guys that can run down on different spots on the kickoff, that’s really valuable for us.”
3. Live tackling. This is a big game for safety Jaylinn Hawkins. He’s been flashing to the ball and making big plays in training camp.
The new regime wants to see how he tackles. He was drafted by the former regime to replace Keanu Neal. He’s playing behind veteran Duron Harmon at strong safety.
“We are not tackling live right now,” Smith said. “This will be the first time a lot of these guys have tackled in a long time. I think so, you just hope that we are sound and there are not a lot of missed tackles.”
In the name of player safety, a lot of teams have moved away from live tackling in practice.
“There is nothing that can replace that,” Smith said.
Quarterbacks AJ McCarron and Feleipe Franks need the live action, too.
“The quarterback is going to feel pressure for the first time and actually get hit, tackled to the ground,” Smith said. “The receivers, some of the catches over the middle, (have) different consequences when you’re able to get tackled. It’s a great step to get us ready to go for the regular season.”
4. Clean operation: The Falcons are hoping to have a clean game with few penalties. Smith had the players running laps after certain mistakes in training camp. This is the first chance to see if they’ve cleaned up those mistakes.
“You don’t want to see a million flags,” Smith said. “Guys are going to make pre-snap mistakes. It won’t be intentional. You just hope you can get the guys who can minimize that and not (be) repeat offenders.”
5. The rushing attack: The Falcons are implementing the outside-zone and inside-zone running systems.
In the exhibition season, the reserves will get most of the action.
This is a major opportunity for undrafted rookie running back Caleb Huntley, of Locust Grove High.
Huntley, who’s 5-foot-10 and 229 pounds, rushed 576 times for 2,902 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and 21 touchdowns over his career at Ball State.
“Just to be out here with the guys, trying to achieve a goal,” Huntley said. “Being from here is kind of cool coming back because I’ve been gone for four years. Just being here putting on for my city, it’s a big thing for me.”
Huntley was named the Region 4-5A offensive player of the year after he rushed for 1,487 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 2016.
“I’m here to do what my coach needs me to do,” Huntley said. “I’m not trying to do anything spectacular. Just do what the team needs me to do.”
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