Star of the game: cornerback Natrone Brooks was everywhere. You couldn't miss him. He started at outside CB for the first half and then moved to the nickel spot in the second half. He finished with 8 solo tackles, 5 assists, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. He also served as the punt returner (1 return for 10 yards, 3 fair catches) and was one of the players back deep for kickoff return duty. He was almost guaranteed a practice squad spot already, but now he's making it hard to drop him from the roster. If they try to get him to the practice squad now, he likely won't clear waivers. For the second week in a row, WR prospect Chris Blair led the team in receiving yards. Last week he had 2 catches on 3 targets, including a 41-yard strike from Penix. He followed that up with 4 receptions on 5 targets from Taylor Heinecke this week, with three of them ending up as the team's three longest plays from scrimmage from the game. (The fourth was a mere 11 yards for a first down, giving him 91 receiving yards on the day.) This monster game came as Casey Washington had a rough outing, with 0 catches on 6 targets - including one clear drop. Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge seem to be locks for the top four WR spots. Blair is making a strong case that he's the #5. The background on him is that he was a deep threat receiver for Alcorn State but went undrafted in 2020. He had a tryout with the Packers but wasn't signed, though they did sign him to a futures contract after the season. He spent 2021 on their practice squad, was released right around the start of OTAs in 2022, and went on to play in the XFL. The Falcons signed him for 2023. He got hurt in training camp, released with an injury settlement, but was then signed to the practice squad once they were able to bring him back. Now he's getting another crack at preseason and making it count. He has looked better than the other candidates to this point, and it's not even close. He's running solid routes, getting separation, and attacking the ball in the air to make the catch. Most important story of the game: no significant injuries reported. Thank heaven. Last week the team lost WR Rondale Moore and DB prospect Harrison Hand for the season due to injuries they sustained in the joint practices, and then they lost third round edge rusher Bralen Trice for the season (on a simple mis-step on the wet surface) and safety DeMarcco Hellams for an extended amount of time during the game. This week? The team actually GAINED strength rather than losing it with the acquisitions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons. I don't think we'll see either of them next week, other than camera shots of them joking around with teammates on the sideline and maybe interviews with the sideline reporter. The most obvious thing that jumped out at me in the early minutes of the first quarter was who was NOT on the field. It had made headlines that head coach Raheem Morris had said he'd seen enough and that Penix didn't need to play, so everyone already knew that Heinecke would be the starting QB. But Penix was far from the only player who got the day off. There were 35 healthy players that were simply held out. Last week they sat nearly all of the projected starters. This week it was absolutely all of the starters and nearly all of the key backups. To keep it short, the noteworthy guys who DID play were two (#2 center Ryan Neuzil and defensive end James Smith-Williams) getting work after missing last week due to injury and the rookie draft picks other than Penix, who need the reps to advance their development regardless of whether they have secured their roster spots. That meant even the start of the game was a mix of a few 2nd unit but mostly 3rd unit players for the first half and the "scrubs" for nearly all of the second half. Not exactly gripping television. But how did they do? For the second week in a row, the Falcons ended the first quarter with the lead. That's big. The guys who might have a chance at making Atlanta's roster more than held their own against the guys who might make the rosters of the other teams. My favorite stats to illustrate this point: ZERO sacks given up by the offensive line for the game, and a 4.9 yard per carry rushing average with these linemen opening the holes. Normally I would have a clear idea at this point who the leaders are for the last OL roster spots and would mostly be trying to peg the practice squad guys. This year I really don't have a clue. The backups are getting moved around so they're all playing multiple positions, and they're all looking good. On defense? Only three second-unit players started the game. The rest were third and even fourth string. In the first quarter (before more fourth-stringers rotated in), Baltimore gained 9 total yards on 8 plays. In the second quarter, Ravens 17-year veteran QB Josh Johnson put together a touchdown drive against a third/fourth unit Falcons secondary that included an undrafted cornerback who signed with the team just four days earlier. In the second half, a prospect who is battling for a practice squad spot got beat on a double move and gave up a 56-yard touchdown play. And... that was it. Seriously, that was all Baltimore could muster for the entire game. QB Taylor Heinecke at least looked like a competent backup this week. The numbers weren't great, but 6 of his 8 incomplete passes were targeting Casey Washington. He also a completion (to prospect Dylan Drummond) wiped out by a procedure penalty. He was generally on target and in command of the makeshift offense. The other big story of the game is that kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goal attempts. Bearing in mind that it was a one point loss in the end, those misses were obviously a significant factor that changed the game. But... all three missed left with machine-like precision. He wasn't spraying the ball all over the place. It was the same motion, same kicking trajectory, same result each time. That means it was probably something small and simple, like where he planted, the angle his body had when he started the kicking motion, or something else along those lines. They'll figure it out and get it fixed. He certainly did NOT have a case of the yips. So with one exhibition game left to go, Atlanta looks deep on both front lines, they've just added veteran studs at safety and edge, they may have found a diamond in the rough at receiver, and another diamond in the rough is giving them a difficult decision at cornerback. After a really rough week due to injuries last week, things are looking quite rosy in Flowery Branch this week.
A little more for the more detail-oriented zealots (like myself)... Former Steelers WR James Washington only played 9 snaps with the second half offense and QB John Paddock. He was targeted twice, but no receptions. Purely in terms of the two games, he didn't really get much of a look - he signed and arrived in Flowery Branch just in time for Paddock to be released. Rourke came aboard just as the team was heading to Miami. So he had one week with Rourke, then Rourke went back to the CFL and Paddock returned. Washington then had only a week to build chemistry with Paddock. It didn't happen, and now Washington has been released. But I consider it a professional courtesy to cut him loose. The team drafted Casey Washington in round six, and returning practice squad receiver Chris Blair has come on like a monster and has been drawing raves from teammates. So with them battling for the #5 role, that already put six guys ahead of James Washington. At best he would be competing for a practice squad spot. It was best to cut him loose and let him find a more legitimate opportunity elsewhere. One of the major battles in preseason has been sixth rounder Jase McClellan vs returning practice squad RB Carlos Washington, Jr for the #4 RB spot. My take is McClellan has shown more. In particular, he "wins" at the point of contact far more than Washington. Two plays from the Ravens game really drove that home for me, and I will be specifically watching for that aspect of their runs in the final exhibition against Jacksonville. After an unsuccessful try on third down, Atlanta went for it on fourth down and had Washington carry the ball. The line gave him a good hole, he burst through it quickly and got into the secondary. But then the defensive back stopped him dead in his tracks with an open field tackle that just plain stone-walled him. He lists as being bigger than McClellan, but McClellan does a much better job of running through contact. The Atlanta announcers had fun with one particular play, pointing out that he ran right through former Falcon defensive tackle Deadrin Senat. So it's not just the numbers, as Washington has been the unfortunate victim of several blocking mishaps in front of him. But the eye test goes to McClellan. Washington also had what looked to me to be a missed blocking assignment. He chipped a pass rusher coming up the middle, without really even slowing the guy down. Heinecke had to hurry his throw and then took a big hit from that same pass rusher, right on his own goal line. I don't know if it was a failed block or just a missed assignment, as Washington turned around as though he was ready to catch a screen pass. Either way, it was a dangerous situation and poor execution. Safety prospect Lukas Denis might have been in the conversation to make the roster after the Miami game, but signing Justin Simmons likely put an end to that. If that didn't do it, two poor plays on Baltimore's first touchdown drive sealed the deal. First, I do have to give Denis credit for a great play on a 3rd and 1 rushing attempt. He got into the backfield and wrapped up the ball carrier's legs, giving him nowhere to go. That was a one yard loss, setting up fourth and two. But since it's preseason, Baltimore went for it on that fourth down play. Denis had no impact in preventing the easy completion to the sideline, but then he also missed the tackle - the second week in a row he has failed to bring a receiver down on the sideline, allowing a bigger play. The real disaster for him came three plays later, when Baltimore was right back in a 3rd and 9 situation. Josh Johnson had Tylan Wallace (second unit receiver) lined up against William Hooper, an undrafted first year guy who had only signed with Atlanta four days earlier as an injury replacement. Denis was the deep safety on that side. He was slow to diagnose the play, then took a bad angle, and then did not even make the tackle. It turned out to be an easy throw and catch for Johnson and Wallace, for a 31-yard gain that set up first and goal. The announcers from both broadcast teams called him out for the bad angle, with former QB D.J. Shockley noting on Atlanta's broadcast that he should have been able to break up the play and get the Falcons defense off the field. So it's unfortunate for Denis, but otherwise there's no way that Falcons fans should be upset about the defense giving up the touchdown on that drive. Here's the list of everyone I spotted on the field on that series for Atlanta, including the substitutions for base vs nickel situations: the aforementioned Denis (S) and Hooper (CB), Arnold "Tre" Tarpley (S), Trey Vaval (CB), Anthony Johnson (CB), Milo Eifler (ILB), J.D. Bertrand (ILB), Bradlee Anae (edge), Demone Harris (DE/edge), Brandon Dorlus (DL), LaCale London (DL), Zion Logue (DL), Tommy Togiai (DL). That's 3 rookies from the last day of the draft, 2 former day three draft busts from other teams, 5 guys returning from last year's practice squad, a Division II undrafted rookie, a first-year prospect who only spent six weeks on practice squads last year (two organizations), and a first-year guy so new to the Falcons that he didn't have time to learn his teammates' names before the game. A huge roster question is whether Taylor Heinecke sticks around as the third QB. I have no idea. Heinecke has certainly shown he's good enough for the #3 role. It's simply a question of whether the team doesn't want to risk losing some other player, so they keep that guy instead of the #3 QB. John Paddock (QB #4) has a job riding on it too. The team will want a third guy around to throw for the scout team. If Heinecke sticks, he's it and Paddock is likely out. If Heinecke is out, he's likely off the roster entirely, with Paddock taking a practice squad spot. So the players to watch against Jacksonville will include TE John FitzPatrick, every backup offensive lineman other than Neuzil and Storm Norton, the second / third unit defensive linemen, OLB DeAngelo Malone, and CBs Antonio Hamilton, Kevin King and Natrone Brooks. It seems odd to think a CB or OLB might determine a QB's fate, but that's the situation. It's not Heinecke vs Paddock. It's Heinecke vs the bubble guys at every other position. For the OL, it's a question of keeping 8 vs 9 vs 10 total linemen. A recent rule change allows an extra active player on the game day roster if at least 8 offensive linemen are active. In other words, the 8th active lineman is a freebie, making it a no-brainer to have 8 active, hence at least 8 on the roster. The starters are set. Ryan Neuzil is the backup center. I could be mistaken, but I don't think anyone has unseated Storm Norton as the swing tackle, and I think Norton makes the roster even if someone does beat him out for that role. So that's the top 7. Who else? Frankly, every single lineman has made a great case for sticking around. It's not going to be an easy decision picking the last roster spots or deciding who to cut loose vs who to keep on the practice squad. So the big clues... in the first two exhibitions, Julien Davenport has had a lot of time at both tackle positions. He started at LT against Miami, which wasn't that big a deal as the starting QB (Penix) was left-handed. He then moved over to RT after Penix left, replacing Norton on the right side. But he started at LT again vs Baltimore, this time protecting the right-handed Heinecke. In both weeks, his pass protection has been rock solid. He's seriously in contention for one of the backup spots as a fourth OT. Likewise, JoVaughn Gwyn has had a lot of playing time in the interior. He started at center last week (with Neuzil out), then moved to guard. This week he started at guard before moving in to center. He has shown that he can play all three interior line positions. Kyle Hinton has only played guard in the two exhibitions, but he has played both sides - and played well. It hasn't just been pass protection. The coaching staff wanted to see improvement in the running game this week, and Hinton opened holes like a bulldozer. Former Michigan RT Andrew Stueber has also had some interesting looks, starting at RG last week and starting at RT this week. He played the entire game against Miami and took 63% of the offensive snaps against Baltimore, so he's certainly getting a solid look as well. I'll have to check again, but I think he might have been responsible for the one sack at the end of the first half in the Dolphins game. All the same, I think he sticks around, at least on the practice squad - if he clears waivers. But that kind of T/G versatility is important, so he could easily be in consideration for a roster spot. Barry Wesley, John Leglue, Jaryd Jones-Smith and Zack Bailey haven't embarrassed themselves either. Keep in mind that Nathan Rourke had two drives that ended in first-and-goal situations in the fourth quarter against Miami, and Paddock had what would have been the game-tying touchdown drive if the team had kicked the extra point rather than going for two. This last-unit line has been impressive and has consistently given the offense opportunities.
Just wanted to compliment you on highlighting/emboldening the players you are covering... it makes things much easier and smooth to keep up with stuff.
