The Falcons football intelligentsia is eager for what is usually viewed as a mundane exercise: the summer’s second exhibition game.
First-round pick Keanu Neal and veteran Dwight Freeney will make their debuts when the Falcons (1-0) face the forever-rebuilding Cleveland Browns (0-1) at 8 p.m. Thursday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Neal, the 17th player selected in the draft, is slated to start at strong safety and is expected to provide a physical presence. He missed the exhibition opener with a trunk/torso injury.
“He’s done a very good job at picking up the system and now I want to see the communication take place on the field where he and (free safety) Ricardo (Allen) are back there at safety and they can direct it,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
Freeney, 36, who has 119.5 career sacks, was added to the roster last week to bring the Falcons’ dormant pass rush to life. Quinn said he plans to use Freeney in the team’s nickel defense during the first quarter.
While Neal and Freeney are getting their first action, there are several key position battles in progress. Here are five spots to watch against the Browns:
Middle linebacker: Paul Worrilow, the incumbent, started the exhibition opener against Washington and is listed as the starter on the team's depth chart. He played well and has had a strong training camp.
Deion Jones, the team’s second-round draft pick, has quickly picked up the defense and is ready for more snaps after his strong debut against the Redskins. He tied for the team lead with five tackles in the opener.
Weakside linebacker: Veteran Sean Weatherspoon looked at home against the Redskins. He was running boundary to boundary and making strong tackles.
The Falcons want to take a longer look at fourth-round pick De’Vondre Campbell, who also had a strong debut.
“They’re going to be in the mix a lot,” Quinn said of Jones and Campbell. “Kind of every other series, we’ll get those two going. But, sure, in the first half they are going to get a good bit of reps.”
Tight ends: Veteran Jacob Tamme has the top spot wrapped up. But things behind him are getting interesting as Levine Toilolo and rookie Austin Hooper have had some ups and downs during camp.
Quinn has recently mentioned Joshua Perkins and D.J. Tialavea as having strong preseasons.
Hooper, a third-round pick, dropped a pass after getting wide open for an apparent score in practice on Tuesday. No one was expecting him to be a strong blocker after leaving Stanford after his junior year, but he was billed as a pass-catching tight end.
“At tight end, Joshua Perkins is one (player to watch),” Quinn said. “I know he’s a rookie and an undrafted player, but he’s really jumped out for sure.”
Backup quarterback: Behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub, a battle for the No. 3 position is ongoing between Sean Renfree and Matt Simms.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan would like to have granted Simms more action last week, but the team was trying to run out the clock when he entered the game against Washington.
“He did a good job on a couple of the opportunities that he had,” Shanahan said.
Nickel cornerback: Brian Poole, an undrafted rookie from Florida, has pulled away from the pack.
“Brian Poole is one who is in that spot of guys who are taking their opportunity and going for it,” Quinn said. “That was really the case with Ricardo Allen last year.”
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