EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2026 NFL training camps have kicked off around the league, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The Atlanta Falcons ' camp is taking place in Flowery Branch, Georgia, and Falcons reporter Marc Raimondi has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course the quarterback room.What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at Falcons camp. We will update this file often. How will the QB battle play out between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa for QB1? Who are the breakout players to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?Dive in to all the updates and be sure to check back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Aug. 13.Camp updates for all 32 NFL teamsLatest Falcons storiesSources: Falcons, RB Robinson reach 3-year deal worth up to $75MFalcons sign Matthew Bergeron to four-year, $96M extensionFalcons' Jalon Walker tore ACL, out for seasonWife of DC Ulbrich dies of cancerTuesday, Aug. 11Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been a full participant in practice for about a week now. And his performances have really turned the corner since late last week.Tagovailoa was 7-of-7 passing in 11-on-11 team sessions Tuesday. The tight back issue seems to be in the rearview mirror and Tagovailoa is starting to show comfortability with this new offense under head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees."Oh, he's getting better every day," Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said Tuesday. "I think he's becoming more comfortable with the system and the play calls and protection adjustments and everything. It's tough always to come into a new system. So, picking that up -- missing the first part of camp set him back just a little bit -- but really the last three or four days he's really come on."The Falcons defense is dealing with some injuries. Safety Jessie Bates III (back), inside linebacker Divine Deablo, defensive back Natrone Brooks and cornerback Avieon Terrell all missed practice Tuesday. Defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand has been out since last week.The Falcons signed veteran running back Trey Sermon to add depth behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., who has gotten some run as a kick returner. Sermon will complete with Tyler Goodson, Nathan Carter and Cash Jones to make the 53-man roster.Monday, Aug. 10Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is still not cleared for 11-on-11 sessions, but he has mostly been sharp in practice lately.On Monday, Penix was 9-of-11 passing during a 7-on-7 series, including a beautiful completion to tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. down the right sideline. The throw was right in the bucket and would have gone for a big gain. Penix did get picked off by cornerback Clark Phillips III on his final throw.Tua Tagovailoa was 4-of-6 in 11s and working more on pushing the ball down the field.Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said he has not yet made a decision on whether Tagovailoa will play in the team's first preseason game Friday against the Denver Broncos. As for Penix, he can't play in any game until he is cleared for 11s in practice, Stefanski said.More observations:The Falcons signed defensive end Cameron Sample, who was waived last week by the San Francisco 49ers. Sample will provide depth off the edge after second-year standout Jalon Walker went down with a torn ACL last week.Right tackle Jawaan Taylor was activated from the reserve/physically unable to perform list. He is likely to be the team's starting right tackle. The Falcons have been rotating Michael Jerrell, Brandon Walton and rookie seventh-rounder Ethan Onianwa in that spot.Saturday, Aug. 8Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had his best practice of camp, though it did not last long. The practice, that is.Lightning halted the Falcons' open practice at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill, Georgia, early on Saturday night. There was still more than 30 minutes left when things were called on the field of a packed stadium.Tagovailoa was 6-of-8 passing in 11-on-11 drills, including his best two passes of training camp: a 30-yarder with touch to wide receiver Jahan Dotson and a play-action rollout lob to wide receiver Drake London.Tagovailoa returned to full practices earlier this week after dealing with a tight back to start camp.Friday, Aug. 7Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit running back Bijan Robinson on a wheel route that would have gone for a 90-yard touchdown or so during an 11-on-11 session Friday. The series was situational. The Falcons offense was backed up against the opposite goal line and Tagovailoa floated it nicely to Robinson, who had complete daylight.It was just another play in another practice this summer here in Flowery Branch, Georgia. But it also felt like more than that, something symbolic. Like a sigh of relief.For the first time this training camp, Tagovailoa and Robinson were both full participants in practice. Tagovailoa has been dealing with a tight back and Robinson was a hold-in before signing a three-year contract extension Wednesday that is worth up to $75 million. Robinson got his first carries in 11s Friday.More observations:Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is still not cleared for 11s, but has looked sharper lately in 7-on-7 work. On Friday, he was 6-of-9 in the red zone, helped out by a diving catch from wide receiver Keelan Marion.Matt Ryan, the team's president of football and former franchise quarterback, threw to wide receivers Drake London and Jahan Dotson separated from everyone else during a drill Friday.Wednesday, Aug. 5Michael Penix Jr. explained his current situation in the clearest way possible Wednesday."If I can't be on the field," Penix said, "how am I going to be the starter?"Penix has been on the field. He has done individual drills and 7-on-7 sessions. But what the Falcons third-year quarterback means is that he has yet to be cleared for 11-on-11 work. And until he does, there cannot be any kind of quarterback competition.That is not necessarily news. The Falcons coaching staff made that clear in the spring. But back then there was some expectation Penix would be fully ready for training camp. That has not been the case and Penix said it could be another several weeks before he's good to go.Tua Tagovailoa (tight back) took another step toward a full return Wednesday with more work in 11s. He went 5-of-7 passing. At this juncture, it's fair to say Tagovailoa will be the team's Week 1 starter unless something major changes.More observations:Edge rusher Jalon Walker was officially confirmed as out for the season with a torn ACL after getting injured Tuesday at practice. It's a major blow for a pass rush that was depending him on to make a major impact. He had 5.5 sacks as a rookie last season.Running back Bijan Robinson officially put pen to paper on his three-year extension, which is worth up to $75 million. He is still limited in practice and has not done any 11s as the team ramps him up.Tuesday, Aug. 4Falcons running back Bijan Robinson returned to practice after a five-day hold-in Tuesday. Robinson got a three-year extension worth up to $75 million and is now the highest-paid running back in the NFL.Head coach Kevin Stefanski referred to Robinson's hold-in as "very amicable." Robinson had been at every practice on the hip of running backs coach Michael Pitre prior to actually coming back."He wants to be out there practicing," Falcons running back Brian Robinson Jr. said. "You know he wants to be competing. So, I used to just tell him, 'Yo, take your time, handle your business. Whenever your time comes, it's going to come. I know you want to be out there with us, but we going to hold it down until you come back.'"Bijan Robinson didn't do much Tuesday. He worked a bit with the running backs in individual drills and did a play-action drill after practice with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Pitre said they will work to ramp Bijan up over the next few days based on recommendations by the training and medical staff.More observations:Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (tight back) said he continues to make progress and expected to be practicing fully Wednesday. Tagovailoa has eased into 11-on-11 sessions the last two days, but has only thrown seven passes. He was 3-of-4 in 11s on Tuesday.Quarterback Cooper Rush, who signed with the Falcons last Wednesday, got reps with the first-team offense in a two-minute drill near the end of practice. Penix has still not yet been cleared for 11s, but got reps again in 7-on-7 work Tuesday.Monday, Aug. 3Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa participated in 11-on-11 team sessions Monday for the first time this training camp. Tagovailoa has been dealing with a tight back and was still limited. He did two series, going 3-for-3 passing in 11s with individual drills, as well.Michael Penix Jr. (right knee) had his best 7-on-7 session Monday, going 6-of-8 with two drops, working mostly with younger players and reserves. His best throw of camp came on the final play of practice. Penix found Antwane Wells Jr. for a long touchdown pass down the left side.Penix has still not been cleared for 11s. The majority of those reps still went to Jack Strand, followed by veteran Cooper Rush. Strand was 7-of-11 passing in those sessions, while Rush was 3-of-7.More observations:Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich returned to practice Monday. Ulbrich's wife Cristina died last week after a battle with cancer. "He's a father figure, older brother for me," Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo said. "So, I was glad to have him back out here. I hugged him as soon as I seen him. Everybody just wants to play for 'Brich' at the end of the day."This was the first camp practice with pads.Offensive tackle Wanya Morris and defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand both left practice with apparent injuries.Michael Jerrell, Brandon Walton and rookie seventh-round pick Ethan Onianwa rotated at right tackle. Free agent signee Jawaan Taylor is not yet cleared to practice after elbow surgery last season.Saturday, Aug. 1Cooper Rush has only been with the Falcons for a little more than 72 hours, but he is starting to get himself acclimated fairly well.The veteran quarterback got reps with the first-team offense for the first time Saturday morning in 11-on-11 team sessions. Overall, Rush was 6-of-10 with a red zone touchdown to tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.The Falcons signed Rush on Wednesday, just before their first practice of training camp. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is dealing with a tight back and has yet to do anything but individual work and a walk-through. Michael Penix Jr. is not yet cleared for 11s after right ACL surgery last November.Undrafted rookie Jack Strand has gotten the majority of 11-on-11 reps with the first team and still did Saturday. But Rush is clearly starting to ramp up.More observations: Tagovailoa only did individual work, while Penix did individuals and then a 7-on-7 goal-line session. Penix was 4-of-8 passing, including a touchdown pass to rookie running back Cash Jones.Christian Harris has gotten the vast majority of reps with the first-team defense at inside linebacker, alongside Divine Deablo. But rookie sixth-rounder Harold Perkins Jr. broke in with first-team reps. Stefanski said a rotation at that spot -- and many others -- will continue during camp.Friday, July 31Undrafted rookie quarterback Jack Strand is drawing raves from his teammates and coaches for how well he has performed after getting thrown into the proverbial fire.Strand has taken the majority of reps in 11-on-11 team sessions with Tua Tagovailoa (tight back) and Michael Penix Jr. (right knee) not fully cleared. On Friday, Strand was 7-of-8 passing in 11s and completed his first six passes."Being a rookie, being able to come into a system like this where it's not easy to be able to regurgitate what he's getting told in the headset to the offense," Tagovailoa said. "I think he's done a really good job this offseason studying, understanding the playbook a bit. And you don't see that a lot in rookies, especially rookie quarterbacks."The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Strand, who played at Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead, has an impressive arm, as well."Dude can sling the ball," Tagovailoa said.More observations:The Falcons are battling through some tragic circumstances currently. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's wife died earlier this week after battling cancer. The team made the information public Thursday night. Head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke to the media before practice Friday morning and said he would not discuss football until later. "Like any family, we will support Jeff and the kids and we'll put our arms around him and the kids literally, as an organization," Stefanski said.Penix had a rough go in a 7-on-7 red zone drill. He was just 1-of-7 passing with one near interception by cornerback AJ Terrell.Thursday, July 30Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was back at practice Thursday. Sort of.Tagovailoa (tight back) made a few throws during individual drills, but that was it. He did not participate in any team sessions, though he did remain on the field in full uniform.Michael Penix Jr., not yet cleared for 11-on-11s, was also at practice, but he did not make any throws in practice, because it was a scheduled rest day, per a team source. There will be a few of those during training camp.The Falcons did not do any 7-on-7 drills on Thursday. Penix had been leading those.In 11s, undrafted rookie free agent Jack Strand got the majority of reps. He was backed up by veteran Cooper Rush, whom the Falcons signed Wednesday to add depth to their banged-up quarterback room.More observations:Running back Bijan Robinson was on the field for the second straight day, but once again did not practice. He was with the quarterbacks during their individual drills, chatting with Tagovailoa and Penix. Robinson appears to be holding in while his agent works on a contract extension, though he nor the Falcons have confirmed that.Falcons president of football Matt Ryan was at practice, as he has been just about every day going back to OTAs. On Thursday, Ryan was acting as a quarterback during receiver drills. Wide receiver Drake London said he asked him if he still has it and Ryan replied: "I feel great." Wednesday, July 29Veteran quarterback Cooper Rush was working out near his Dallas home Tuesday when he got a phone call from his agent. Rush was informed to stop the workout immediately and head to the airport. The Falcons had signed Rush on short notice when they found out that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would be out of practice with a tight back.Rush got into Atlanta on Tuesday night and was at the team's facility Wednesday in time for practice. With Michael Penix Jr. recovering from a torn ACL and third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian released because of injury, Rush and undrafted free agent Jack Strand were the only QBs getting live reps in 11-on-11 team sessions. Penix did individual drills and 7-on-7 work. Tagovailoa was spotted, but did not practice.Rush, 32, is a nine-year veteran with 16 starts under his belt, all but two with the Dallas Cowboys. Rush played for the Baltimore Ravens last season and started two games. He has a 9-7 record as a starter.More observations:Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is not currently with the team because of personal issues.Brian Robinson Jr. got the first-team reps at running back with Bijan Robinson not practicing. Robinson was at practice, but not in full uniform. Robinson Jr. got shaken up on one play and did not return, but it didn't appear to be anything serious.Penix was 6-of-8 in 7-on-7 work with a 50-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch.Tuesday, July 28What makes for a good training camp, according to Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus? "Great intensity" and making sure everyone comes out of it healthy. There is one mark of great intensity, he added."Maybe some fights," Dorlus said Tuesday as Atlanta players arrived at the team facility in Flowery Branch. "It's a good and bad sign, but in my opinion, it's a good sign when you got guys who want to compete and you got guys who want to win games."Dorlus' best friend Ruke Orhorhoro was traded in the offseason to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Orhorhoro was known for his trash talk and, in his absence, Dorlus said he has to step up in that regard."I got some of me that I'll bring out there for sure," he said with a laugh.
