The Atlanta Falcons only played three quarters Friday night, but there were plenty of snaps to go around. Apologies for how late these are coming in this week, but join me for a snap counts journey regardless.
The Falcons reserve offensive line was a mix of shaky-ish run blocking (Jovaughn Gwyn, Elijah Wilkinson), poor pass blocking (Jack Nelson, Kyle Hinton), and just poor play (Brandon Parker). That’s not an inspiring mix, especially because Nelson is the only new face here, but this group will have two more games to tune up. Wilkinson and Hinton in particular have a track record of solid play, at least, and Nelson did settle in a bit as the game wore on.
We didn’t get a great look at any of the backs vying for a role, but in limited action Carter looked fast and Dotson had some game carries. The fact that Carlos Washington is A) listed as RB3 and B) did not play suggests the three backs behind him on the roster are battling for a practice squad spot, but we’ll see if that assumption is borne out by playing time against the Titans.
Stick had a good game, obviously, but Drummond and Blair’s play was well worth highlighting. Both players are no strangers to the Falcons practice squad, which already gives them a little boost in their battle to cling to the roster or PS once again, but the fact that both looked really good out there had to help their cases considerably. Drummond catching everything in sight
I’ll be quite interested to see how the Falcons elect to divvy up their snaps in the second preseason game after getting little more than a passing look at their third-string offensive linemen and interesting young players like Skinner, Jones, and Nash; whether they roll out earlier against the Titans will likely tell us a lot about whether they have a realistic shot to push their way past the likes of Stick, Drummond, and Blair.
Your standouts were readily apparent on Friday night. Josh Woods was a run-stopping machine, Brandon Dorlus was a terror, Ruke Orhorhoro continues to look like a pressure-generating machine after a strong camp, and DeMarcco Hellams delivered hits so potent that my TV rattled. Overall, it was a strong start for Atlanta’s defense, with multiple turnovers and big plays.
The secondary had some issues, however. Cobee Bryant, Dee Alford, Xavier Watts, and Lamar Jackson all had their adventures in coverage, and given that Billy Bowman, Natrone Brooks, and Hellams all had strong days, that could be meaningful very soon. Expectations should be relatively modest for Bryant and Watts in their debuts, but Alford in particular and Jackson to a lesser extent have been around, so it’s not ideal that they had some glaring miscues. Alford did recover a fumble and Jackson looked really solid as a run defender, so it wasn’t a total lost cause.
DeAngelo Malone did not have a terrible overall and got an extended look in what’s likely to be his last chance with the Falcons, but missed tackles continue to be a major problem for him, as he missed two attempts on Friday. If a final spot on this roster comes down to him and Khalid Kareem—which is not a given—Kareem’s continued strong preseason performances ought to push him over the top.
If you’re a borderline guy, it’s a good sign that you’re playing a lot on special teams. Caleb Johnson is one such player, given that Atlanta’s final inside linebacker/safety tend to stick around solely based on special teams value and he logged a team-high number of snaps in the third phase. He’s a good, proven special teamer, too, and is likely vying for a spot against Josh Woods (who had an excellent day on defense) and Nick Kubitz. Corbin, Sills, Kalinic, and Jackson also will get a boost to their chances of hanging around if they continue to log real special teams snaps in preseason and fare well.
Bowman had a terrific day with a pair of special teams tackles, and even if Alford beats him out for the nickel role, the rookie should be active and very useful because of his value there.
Krieg showed off his potent leg on one attempt and then missed a much easier one, but will likely kick all preseason long as the Falcons look to get him reps. At the end of the day, the Falcons will likely look to put him on the practice squad as their International Pathways Program player, but whether they can get him through waivers at cutdown is still a bit of an open question.