Falcons Position Battles To Watch at Training Camp

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – Thursday marked the start of what should be an eventful summer of training camp action for the Atlanta Falcons at Flowery Branch. A sold-out crowd was on hand as early as 7:00 a.m. to take in the team’s first of 11 open viewing periods. 

Just 33 days stand between day one and final roster cuts on Aug. 26, and there will be several projections of where things stand between now and then, but still plenty of time for several players to make a name for themselves. All told, there are not too many starting positions that will be up for grabs, barring injury or any unexpected performances this summer. However, there should still be plenty of roster battles that could come all the way down to the wire. 

Falcons On SI laid out just a few of the position battles and some of the lingering roster questions that fans should keep an eye on this summer.

Will the Falcons Keep Three Quarterbacks?

The Falcons have fought back against rumors of any Kirk Cousins trades all offseason, but a mid-practice newsbreak about a Justin Fields injury in New York reminded everyone that things can change in an instant. 

With Michael Penix entrenched as the starter and Cousins still hanging around, Emory Jones and Easton Stick will be battling it out to see who could be the team’s third quarterback during camp. Teams don’t often carry three quarterbacks on their roster, but with the chances of a Cousins trade, it wouldn’t be the craziest thing for them to do. 

The other way the Falcons could opt to keep three on the roster is if either Jones or Stick performs well enough that the Falcons would want to make sure no one else steals them away after any cuts. Players who do not make the 53-man roster would need to clear waivers before being picked up by a team’s practice squad. 

Whichever route the Falcons take will prove important. Will they risk opening up that critical roster spot for someone else on the team?

Safety

Aside from Jessie Bates III, who is widely considered one of the best safeties in the NFL, the safety position provides one of the few positions that are theoretically up for grabs. 

With Justin Simmons departing over the offseason, there is no incumbent in the role, but the Falcons were aggressive in looking to fill his shoes. They signed one of Raheem Morris’ former players, Jordan Fuller, who combined to help the Rams win a Super Bowl in 2022. Fuller, who played for the Carolina Panthers last season, started in all nine games he appeared in and had 54 tackles and a forced fumble during that campaign. 

They then drafted Xavier Watts in the third round and will return DeMarcco Hellams, who missed the 2024 season with an ankle injury. Hellams came on strong last offseason before his injury, and any of the three could contend for that position come Week 1. 

Nickel Cornerback

Keeping things in the secondary, the Falcons have a few options at the nickel corner position. As a team, the Falcons finished with the fourth-worst EPA/pass in the NFL, and teams were able to complete passes at will in 2024 (69.9%, worst in the NFL). 

2024 starter Dee Alford was brought back on a one-year deal after an up-and-down campaign, but the front office brought in plenty of competition for the role. Billy Bowman, who projects well as a nickel but played mostly as a safety at Oklahoma, was drafted in the fourth round. Clark Phillips III will also return, although he took several reps at outside cornerback on the first day of training camp and was the primary backup for Mike Hughes last season. 

Kicker 

Atlanta went through a bit of a rocky period at kicker after a right hip injury derailed Younghoe Koo’s season. Even before being put on injured reserve to close out the 2024 season, Younghoe Koo was having the worst statistical year of his career. 

After Koo converted just 73.5% of kicks, the Falcons brought in Lenny Krieg from the EFL in Germany on a 3-year, $3.02 million deal ($10k guaranteed) – an atypical decision for a team with an established starter already on the roster and under contract through 2026.

Krieg, who had a standout performance at the NFL Combine back in February when he connected on 14-straight kicks, appeared in 24 games for the Stuttgart Surge over the last two seasons. He connected on 19-of-26 kicks (73.1%), with a career-long of 52 yards. If Krieg wins the job outright, the Falcons would save approximately $2 million on the salary cap this year and $3.5 million next season, according to Spotrac.

Koo, despite a down year in 2024, has an 86.1% conversion rate and has been one of the league’s most dependable kickers. After practice on Thursday, he acknowledged that there is always competition, whether someone is kicking next to him or not. 

"I'm ready to get back to what I know, what I'm capable of: being the best in the league," Koo said Thursday. "I know I can do that, just going back to the process of what I do.” 

Will any UDFAs make the roster?

The Falcons added five rookies by way of the NFL Draft, but brought in an additional 11 undrafted free agents. The most notable among these are Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant, Oregon State offensive lineman Joshua Gray, and San Jose State wide receiver Nick Nash. 

The former Jayhawk dropping out of April’s draft was very surprising given his draft grade and strong college production. The corner recorded four interceptions in his final season and 11 total over his three seasons. Bryant, who was added to the team’s NFI list and did not participate in Thursday’s practice, comes to a Falcons team that struggled against the pass last season and will be looking for competition in the secondary. 

Gray was a four-year starter for the Beavers and, while he mostly lined up as a tackle, he offers some positional versatility and could play any of the three positions along the offensive line. He will be battling with several other newcomers in the team’s seventh-round pick, Jack Nelson, plus Matthew Cindric, Michael Gonzalez, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Jordan Williams, and Kilian Zierer. 

Nash was also a surprise on draft day. He brings some good size to the position (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and had elite production in his final collegiate season. Nash was a first-team All-American and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (best wide receiver) after leading FBS with 16 touchdowns and finishing second with 104 catches for 1,382 yards. 

At 26 years old, Nash comes in a good bit older than the average rookie. Additionally, he has only played wide receiver for the last three seasons after playing his first three college seasons as a quarterback.

The depth chart behind Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud, and (special team weapon) KhaDarel Hodge is wide open. Nash will be competing with Casey Washington, Chris Blair, and several others for the fifth and sixth spots on the roster. 

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