Open practice count: 6 of 11 | See all dates
Most notable player: James Pearce Jr. It’s getting hard to keep the rookie out of this spot, because he makes it difficult to look away when he’s out there on the field. Regardless of who he’s up against, Pearce is giving each rep the energy it deserves and he’s making a lot of plays. He had what would very likely have been a sack on game day, and he batted down yet another pass at the line of scrimmage. This is a defense that wants to attack, and Pearce, at this point in camp, is often the tip of the spear.
Say what now: “Where Rah and I were coaching at before with the Rams, we weren’t really a 7-on-7 operation — to get those live reps in the pocket for the quarterback, to get the pass protection with the offensive line. So we’re able to get a bunch of team reps, which is nice. No 7-on-7. Where you can feel good coming out of the day, but you know there’s going to be a real pass rush in the game. So, those reps have been awesome, just for quarterbacks feeling what the pocket feels like. They know they can’t get hit, but they’re still making those movements they need to try to simulate a game. But all those team reps that Rah has got scripted up have been great.” Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson on the benefits of doing a lot of team periods.
Song of the day: “Joke and the Thief” by Wolfmother. I had a dueling pianos-type of experience at practice on Friday. From where I was positioned, I had the music from the field channeling into one ear and the music from the weight room channeling into the other. “Joker and the Thief” struck the best blend of the two, and that’s why it’s the pick here.
Roll call: Keith Taylor continues to be absent at practice, but there were two new players missing on Friday. Second-year linebacker J.D. Bertrand was not spotted on the field. Neither was veteran tackle Storm Norton. Rookie safety Xavier Watts did not participate in team drills Thursday, and he was held out of practice on Friday.
— Friday’s practice felt heavier on full-team periods than others in camp. Players will get a few days reprieve before the pads come back on, so it was a good time to push.
— Arnold Ebiketie is flying under the radar a little bit this summer, but he has been getting starting reps and had an excellent speed rush early on Friday. His jump of the ball was flawless, and it allowed him to fly around the edge for what likely would have been a sack on Sunday.
— My favorite play of the day involved some of the team’s biggest names. Lined up on the right side of the defense, as he often has been, James Pearce Jr. sprinted headlong into the pads of Kyle Pitts and began to bull rush the tight end back into the lap of Michael Penix Jr. Just before the rookie defender succeeded in his mission, however, Pitts dropped his weight and stopped Pearce shy of the quarterback. That effort from Pitts gave Penix enough time to escape the pocket to his left and scramble upfield for what would have been a first down in a live game. All players involved had an impressive moment in quick succession.
— German kicker Lenny Krieg had back-to-back kicks drift right of the uprights during a kicking session midway through practice.
— Cousins and Penix each had some excellent passes on an otherwise down day for the offense, particularly over the middle of the field. And after Penix was intercepted on a low throw to London in the end zone Thursday, the duo connected for a touchdown on a similar play Friday. The pass was probably still a little bit low for Penix’s liking, but London came up with the contested catch.
— Carlos Washington has been one of the most consistently impressive players in camp so far. The former undrafted free agent has grown in each of his first two seasons with the team, and it feels like he’s made a small jump in Year 3. Another running back further down the depth chart who impressed on Friday was Jashaun Corbin.
— Kaden Elliss made several highlight plays on Friday, and his versatility has been on display throughout camp. He logged what looked to be a sack against Cousins and had a few stops in the backfield.
— Dee Alford is not backing down from the battle at nickel cornerback, and he made a great play on the ball in coverage to breakup a pass over the middle. He’s been running with the starting defense for most of camp.
— Ray-Ray McCloud made some solid blocks on the perimeter of the defense that helped spring big runs. It appears London isn’t the only receiver willing to mix it up as a blocker.
— We haven’t talked a lot about Bijan Robinson so far, but he’s still making the most difficult moves look easy. On an inside carry during a red-zone period, Robinson patiently followed his blockers to the second level before his instinct took over. He cut back to the left against the flow of traffic, finding space that seemed to be completely out of his field of vision. Watching it back on the replay screens, running backs coach Michael Pitre marveled at Robinson’s read.
What’s next: The Falcons hold their seventh open practice Monday at IBM Performance Field.
Countdown to kickoff: There are 37 days until the Falcons’ Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | See full schedule