The Falcons are in the first week of Phase Three of the offseason program, which started on Monday.
Here are five things to know on Thursday:
1. Open practice today. Although the NFL recommends that the first day of OTAs be open to the media, the Falcons waited to open today's session. Practice starts at noon. (Excerpt from NFL media policy via the PFWA: "To enhance publicity during the offseason, clubs must open to the media at least one of every three Organized Team Activity (OTA) days. In addition, it is recommended that clubs open to the media the first OTA session of the year. The purpose of opening at least one of every three OTA days (not one-third of the total number of OTAs but one of every three) is for media to have at least one mandatory access day in each of the four weeks of Phase Three of a club's offseason workouts as described in Article 21 of the CBA.)
2. Matt Ryan offseason debut. Quarterback Matt Ryan, who turned 34 on May 17, will address the media after practice today. Look for updates on the offense's mash-up under new/old offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
3. Means loss. Falcons reserve defensive end Steve Means suffered a non-contact injury on Monday. It must have been pretty bad as the team announced that he will miss the 2019 season. We'll check to see if the team will re-sign super good-guy Derrick Shelby.
4. McClain to the Cardinals. Defensive tackle Terrell McClain, who started five games and played in 13 last season in his only season with the Falcons, signed with the Cardinals on Wednesday. The Cardinals have snapped up former Falcons Robert Alford and Brooks Reed this offseason. This trio joins defensive tackle Corey Peters, who was signed by the Cardinals in 2015 after five seasons with the Falcons. The Cardinals also signed linebacker Sean Weatherspoon in 2015. He played for them for one season before returning in 2016 and 2017. He wasn't quite the same after having foot and knee injuries in 2013 and then rupturing his Achilles in 2014 while rehabbing with the training staff.
5. Stadium wins award. The Mercedes-Benz, where the Falcons play their home games, was honored as Sports Facility of the Year. Atlanta United, which won the MLS championship in December and is owned by Arthur Blank, was named Sports Team of the Year.
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