Atlanta Falcons Training Camp Takeaways: Kyle Pitts Shines

In Pitts's first three seasons, he lined up as a slot receiver or wide receiver 70% of the time, according to Pro Football Focus. That number dropped to 50% in 2024 as he took more of his snaps as a traditional inline tight end. Pitts saw his playing time decrease as the season wore on.

On Thursday, Pitts lined up almost exclusively as a slot receiver, indicating he's not in competition with tight end Charlie Woerner, one of the game's best blockers, but instead with No. 3 wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud.

McCloud had a career year in the slot last season for the Falcons, but let's be honest, the Falcons would rather see their former No. 4 overall pick, their "unicorn", at least come close to living up to the draft hype.

On Thursday, he did.

The Defense

The Falcons made massive changes to their defense in the offseason. New defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is tasked with wrangling all of those pieces together, and we got a first look at version 1.0 on Thursday.

Ulbrich's unit lined up as a base 3-4. There is some concern that the Falcons are a little light in the middle with David Onyemata lined up at nose guard, but he was flanked by second-year pro Ruke Orhorhoro (6'4/295) and Zach Harrison (6'5/270) to start.

Veterans Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie got the nod at edge rusher while rookies James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker worked with the second unit.

A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes were at cornerback, with Jessie Bates III and Jordan Fuller at safety.

The Competition That Wasn't

There are competitions for starting roles and roster spots at every level of the defense. However, one of them ended before camp started when the Falcons announced before the start of practice that oft-injured linebacker Troy Andersen would begin camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

The Falcons knew in the offseason they couldn't count on Andersen to be healthy, so they signed Divine Deablo as a free agent from the Las Vegas Raiders. Deablo is a considerable upgrade over the departed Nate Landman, who took over for Andersen last year.

The last time we saw Andersen healthy, he was NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Unfortunately, time is running out on the former second-round pick who is scheduled to enter free agency after this season.

The Competition That Is

Dee Alford was the Falcons' starting nickel cornerback last season, and he is in camp on a deal that includes just $230,000 of guaranteed money, according to Spotrac. The Falcons drafted Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman in the fourth round to compete at nickel.

With several high-profile rookies in action on Thursday, it was Bowman who looked like he was getting the most work. He lined up on the line of scrimmage in the slot and is a considerably more physical presence on the edge than Alford.

Early bets on the first Atlanta Falcons rookie to start? Don't bet against Bowman, despite being the fourth of four defensive draft picks.

Back to That Defense

The Falcons were passive in 2024 and played a back-pedal, bend, and eventually break brand of football. If there's one takeaway from Thursday's action is that there are several more bodies near the line of scrimmage.

The Falcons had trouble tackling when left in acres of space last season. They couldn't get a pass rush with four linemen and dropped their defensive backs into prevent defense territory.

That's changing.

We'll have to wait for the results, but at the very least, they'll play a much more exciting, aggressive brand of football.

The Quarterback

The good news for the Atlanta Falcons was that overall, it was a fairly quiet day. Penix showed off his howitzer for a left arm and was accurate and consistent through much of the practice. Kirk Cousins was No. 2 and was relatively unnoticeable, perfect for a backup quarterback.

The chatter on the hill with the fans about Cousins picked up with the news that New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields had left the field with an injury. A stark reminder of just how quickly fortunes can change in the NFL.

Third-string quarterback Easton Stick took off on a run that had fans scrambling for their phones, saying "who was that, that wasn't Kirk!"

Stick ran for over 2,500 yards and 41 touchdowns at North Dakota State. The kid can move.

Play of the Day

If we discount Robinson breaking ankles all over the field, arguably, the play of the day came from cornerback Lamar Jackson. Jackson was lined up more as a safety, covering the deep third. He elevated on a deep route for a pass breakup that was loudly cheered by the fans in attendance.

The Falcons are back in action on Friday morning at 9:30 at IBM Performance Field as they prepare for their preseason opener against the Detroit Lions on Friday, August 8th.