With the rookie minicamp completed, the Falcons will continue with their voluntary offseason program.
The organized team activities are set to start Monday, May 20, with the mandatory minicamp set for June 11-13.
The team will open training camp in mid-July, tentatively July 18. That’s earlier because the Falcons will play in the Hall of Fame game Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio.
The OTA dates, as released by the league, are set for May 20-21; May 23; May 29-31; and June 3, 4 and 6.
“We’ll mix everybody together on Monday,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said of the rookies and veterans.
The Falcons are counting on the veterans to help the new players get acclimated to professional football.
“It’s an excellent team to come in and be a part of because the veteran players take an active role in their development,” Quinn said. “They recognize that they were in their space at one time and it’s their way to pay it forward.”
Quinn enjoys overseeing the interactions of the two groups.
“There’s a big difference between being a pro and playing professional football,” Quinn said. “How could they know how to be pro? They’ve had (two) professional football practice without any veterans.”
The Falcons are trying to get first-round picks Chris Lindstorm and Kaleb McGary ready to start.
Also, fourth-round pick John Cominsky is trying to make the jump to the NFL from Division II University of Charleston (W.Va.).
Fourth-round cornerback Kendall Sheffield (pectoral muscle tear) and sixth-round running back Marcus Green (hamstring) were held out of most of the rookie minicamp drills.
Quinn is hoping they’ll be ready to fully participate in the OTAs.
“They’ll get going as it goes,” Quinn said. “There are some excellent mentors and leaders. It’s an ideal situation for a rookie to come on to this team because of the players that are already here. They want to help them and teach them.
“Some of them will have an impact on the team this year. The ones that do, the roles they can earn, that’s a big deal.”
Only one tryout player made it to the 90-man roster. Former Oregon running back Tony Brooks-James was signed Saturday and the team released veteran Jeremy Langford.
“I wanted first to make sure that the tryout players (know) the gratitude that we had for them,” Quinn said. “Sometimes, you want to have that moment to prove what you can do. I reminded them that over the next month around the league it’s’ fluid.
“By coming here and representing themselves like they did, people call around and ask, how did this player perform.
“I wanted them to know by putting their best foot forward, if it wasn’t going to be here, I’d certainly try to help them get elsewhere.”
The offseason program is moving along.
“For the next group of guys that are staying, the next process begins and we’ll start here ... and get back into the classroom,” Quinn said.
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