FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. —
• The two biggest questions facing the Falcons are how they’ll play at quarterback, and how they’ll affect the other team’s quarterback. On the first count … the guys here feel really, really good. And I heard, from Raheem Morris’s Rams-centric staff, some Matthew Stafford comps thrown around. Michael Penix Jr. may not have the crazy-arm-angle throws that Stafford does yet, but his arm strength, accuracy and vision have all been top shelf, and he’s improved in changing speed on the ball, layering throws, and with his base. The chemistry, too, is coming along with Drake London, Kyle Pitts Sr., Bijan Robinson and Ray-Ray McCloud III. There could be some bumps earlier, with two of the more complex, aggressive defenses on Atlanta’s schedule to kick off the season (Buccaneers, Vikings). But there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about Penix.
• A veteran offensive line, with recently re-signed center Ryan Neuzil the only new Week 1 starter (and he started eight games for the team last year), should give Penix a nice foundation to work off of, with three old standbys (Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary) and an ascending young guard (Matthew Bergeron) in place. So the bigger question is going to be what the skill spots look like. Drake London and Bijan Robinson are, of course, the stalwarts. Elsewhere, Kyle Pitts Sr. is working in individual drills with the receivers at practice to try and jumpstart his career after four so-so years, and Darnell Mooney’s hurt and iffy for the regular-season opener. The veteran McCloud’s had a nice camp and might find a role, second-year man Casey Washington’s flashed real speed and journeyman David Sills V (once the seventh-grade quarterback who committed to Lane Kiffin at USC) has turned heads early in camp as a bigger, London-type of receiver. So that competition will play out.
• Now, on to the second question—how the Falcons will get to the other team’s quarterback—there is hope the two answers will be the guys GM Terry Fontenot took in the first round. Jalon Walker, the 15th pick, has come as advertised from a football makeup standpoint, and his strong build had some coaches calling him a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. However you want to describe him, Walker’s explosiveness off the edge has been apparent, as has his versatility to toggle, like Micah Parsons did early in his career, between off-ball linebacker and end-of-the-line edge player. The bigger curiosity is the other first-round pick, James Pearce Jr., who would’ve been comfortably in the top 10 picks of the draft had it not been for character questions. The Falcons have attacked that head on, earning Pearce’s trust. Hitting on those two, of course, would go a long way toward solving the problems the Falcons have had on defense over the past half-decade. The team’s also pretty hopeful on the progress of second-year DL Brandon Dorlus, who’s grown up a bunch, came back to camp 10 pounds lighter and (as the Falcons hope will be the case with Pearce) has benefited from Atlanta’s holistic approach with players.
• A nice surprise in camp: the emergence of veteran linebacker Divine Deablo, who was signed to a two-year, $14 million deal in the offseason. The Falcons saw, in bringing him over from the Raiders, plenty of length and speed to work with. What they’ve found out since is his football makeup, intelligence and instincts are really, really good. He’s exceeded any expectation of where the Falcons thought he’d be right now, at the nerve center of Morris and Jeff Ulbrich’s defense.
• Speaking of Ulbrich, I’d say there are two things he’s really looking to add to his unit. The first would be versatility. You can see it with guys like Walker and Deablo, who can be moved around a bunch. But he’s trying to build in others, too—like star corner A.J. Terrell, who’s spending time working on being a better zone defender, with his man-to-man skills not in doubt. The second is he’s looking for a little bit more edge to his group. Tough guys like DT David Onyemata can help there. But so too can guys with a little bite, like Pearce, who, again, Atlanta is working with on channeling that personality.
