Michael Penix Jr., James Pearce Jr. Shine as Falcons Wrap First Scrimmage

Penix made a point of featuring Drake London throughout the scrimmage. The pair combined for several chunk plays, including a touchdown in a two-minute drill to cap off the scrimmage. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported he finished with nine receptions today (he also said London would be a solid fantasy football pickup for anyone interested). 

The difference between the passing attack when Kirk Cousins is taking snaps compared to Penix is quite noticeable on a day like this. 

Cousins, who looked pretty polished today aside from his single interception on a screen pass, was not very aggressive with his throws. Penix, on the other hand, was attacking deep down the field, connecting on several of those attempts. 

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This scrimmage is a microcosm of why the Falcons are so excited about Penix. He has the gunslinger capability in terms of sheer arm strength, but the intelligence of a quarterback who is willing to go through his progressions.

There were still some misses on throws, and he will need to rein that in as best he can before the season starts, but fans have every reason to be excited about the capabilities he brings to this offense. 

More reactions from today’s practice are below! 

Pass Rush Shows Promise

The Falcons invested heavily in their pass rush this offseason, and it appears to have shown some returns today during the scrimmage. Their aggression has been notable throughout camp, but it certainly flashed Wednesday morning, with the combination of Leonard Floyd and James Pearce Jr. being especially effective. 

Floyd’s first snap ended with an interception on a Cousins screen pass that he returned for a touchdown. He also had a sack today. Meanwhile, Pearce showed off his speed rush on Kaleb McGary, ripping past him and getting to Penix for a sack. On the very next play, Pearce forced a holding call on McGary in a similar speed rush situation. 

“He's got a ton of physical talent,” McGary said about Pearce after the scrimmage. “We'll see when bullets are live, you know. ‘Till we get to week one, it's just practice.”

Jalon Walker, the Falcons other first-rounder from April’s draft, was also seen on the field after missing the last several team periods. He repped mostly with the twos and threes, but getting him back and acclimated appeared to be a priority. Walker said Monday that he wasn’t worried after missing that time.

“The mental preparation and things that I take pride in,” Walker said about why he wasn’t concerned. “Just being in the film room, being in my journal, things like that. I feel like I'm ahead of the game on the ball, just because of that, having that time out there doesn't say I'm behind.” 

Kaden Ellis and Brandon Dorlus also came up with sacks today, while Bralen Trice was seen mixing in reps between the ones, twos, and threes. 

Morris confirmed this morning before practice that both Walker and Pearce would get game reps against the Lions on Friday. 

Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Rotations

As it was mentioned yesterday, wide receiver and secondary, specifically at nickel and safety, are key battles to watch. Wednesday’s practice offered a great look at where the coaching staff sees both of those units after nine days of practice. 

At safety, Xavier Watts was fully active and taking reps with the ones and twos at various points during the day, along with DeMarcco Hellams. Hellams did have some nice plays and certainly was not afraid to throw his hat in on some tackles after missing all of last season with an injury. 

“I still feel ready to go,” Watts said after practice today. “Even though I missed a couple days or whatnot. But, you know, conditioning is still good, still getting in the playbook, learning stuff, so still ready to go.”

Safety Jordan Fuller started the day with the ones, however, and played the majority of the early possessions. If the season were to start today, it would appear that he has the job – but we have a long way to go. 

At nickel, Billy Bowman Jr. started the day with the first-team defense, and it appeared that he held his own pretty well. Dee Alford came in for him soon after. 

“Solid,” Bowman said about his performance in practices so far in camp. “You know, I'm a perfectionist at heart, but just getting here, not trying to be too hard on myself, enjoying the process, enjoying what it takes. You know, this is the greatest, highest level there is in pro sports. So, it's gonna be a day-by-day challenge, but I feel like I've been doing solid.”

At wide receiver, Casey Washington was taking the lion’s share of the snaps with the first-team offense at the ‘X’ position. Darnell Mooney’s injury status is still unclear, and it looks like he has taken over that role with KhaDarel Hodge mixing in, too. 

London, who we mentioned was fantastic today, appears to have a strong clone in David Sills V. The fourth-year player out of West Virginia has been a big riser during camp and had a strong performance today, playing primarily with the second team. 

DJ Chark has been noticeably quiet through this point in camp. With several risers elsewhere on the roster, it would be a surprise if he makes the initial 53-man roster. 

Kicker Battle Looks Like a Wrap

The battle for the starting kicker spot looks all but finished. Younghoe Koo took every kicking rep on Wednesday and connected on all of his PATs, 3-of-3 kicks between 35 and 50 yards, but missed a 60-yard end-of-game type of try. 

“Injury or not, it wasn't the best season, and that's a motivating factor enough,” Koo said on Monday. “And I'll just move on, whether I have a good season or a bad season. Mentally, physically, I feel great. And just, you know, just like any other off-season, get ready for week one.”

Lenny Kreig was not an active participant today, but said yesterday that they have had a healthy relationship as he adjusts to playing in the NFL.

“He's been great,” Kreig said about Koo. “He's a great resource for me to just give me insights about his routines, his work ethic, way of thinking about kicking, and like situations. So it's a great relationship. I really appreciate him for being so open.” 

Kreig may get some run on Friday, but it would be hard to think Koo would lose the job at this point in the preseason. 

Other notes

• No update on linebacker Troy Andersen, who has been on the PUP list throughout camp. “He's doing good,” Morris said this morning. “I don't want to say he's ahead of schedule, but he's on schedule.”

• Offensive tackle Storm Norton, who has been absent from practices for the last few days, is dealing with some sort of lower-body injury that the Falcons are “managing.” Morris said it’s something they know about and have dealt with in the past. 

• Easton Stick had a very nice touchdown throw to Feleipe Franks in the back corner of the end zone.

• Nickel corner Clark Phillips III was not seen out there today.