FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons were back on the field Tuesday afternoon for their second-to-last practice before Friday night’s preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins.
It was a fairly typical practice that consisted of multiple position-focused drills, several 11-on-11 sessions emphasizing various situations the team will face on Sundays and a few 1-on-1 drills sprinkled in. The highlights from Tuesday’s practice will be discussed in the notes and observations section.
For this intro, however, I wanted to spotlight a player who has been one of the preseason standouts dating back to the very first day of camp: Tyler Goodson.
Signed in the offseason as a free agent, Goodson arrived in Atlanta competing for a spot in a running backs room that already included Bijan Robinson, Brian Robinson Jr. and Nathan Carter and added undrafted rookie Cash Jones out of Georgia. Goodson spent his first three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and appeared in 33 games, compiling 367 total yards and scoring two touchdowns.
The former North Gwinnett High School star has looked fast, elusive and decisive in his first summer with the Falcons.
“It’s been going great,” Goodson said earlier this month. “I love the competition between the running backs, but not only is it good competition, but we all work with each other and work for each other. We all want each other to be great and hold everybody to a standard that we all want in the running back room — and that’s just to be the best running back we can be, on and off the field.”
Goodson leads all Falcons running backs with 87 yards on 13 carries this preseason, and his 6.7 yards per carry and 49-yard touchdown run each rank third among all NFL backs.
In joint practices against his former team, Goodson played with energy and was one of the most dynamic runners on the field.
“Mindset was basically competing,” Goodson said after the Falcons’ second preseason game. “Compete, compete, compete. That’s pretty much it. Take advantage of every opportunity, and today was a great day. Obviously, something I wanted to display. Make them feel a little bit of what they missed. So, it was just a good moment for me. The best thing about it was just to be able to celebrate with my teammates – everybody rushing the field and whatnot. It was a great moment and great to see.”
After Goodson’s 49-yard touchdown run against the Colts, Falcons players swooped from the sidelines to mob the running back in the end zone. It was a pre-planned celebration that reinforced the team’s camaraderie and created a fun preseason moment.
“It was crazy. At first, I just saw a bunch of white jerseys, and I honestly forgot that everybody was rushing the field,” Goodson said. “So, once everybody spread, I was like, ‘Oh, like, what’s up?’ We all had a good time together.”