RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesJul 30, 2026; Atlanta, Falcons, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receivers huddle during training camp at IBM Performance Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The first week of Falcons training camp is behind us. It was an eventful seven practices, with a lot of good and, sadly, one very serious injury. Ultimately, I came away from Flowery Branch feeling pretty good about the direction of the team despite a different approach than I’m used to at training camp. It’s clear that Kevin Stefanski runs things differently than Raheem Morris and even Arthur Smith. How that will impact the regular season remains to be seen.
All that being said, I put together my overall takeaways from the first week of Falcons training camp in a show format. I’ll also have my written notes down below for those who prefer that. If you’ve got time, give both a click to help us out. Check out the video, podcast, and notes below!
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Biggest takeaways from Falcons training camp
One thing to note off the top is that Stefanski’s training camp practices are run differently than those of Raheem Morris or Arthur Smith. For starters, they’ve typically been about half as long as I’m accustomed to. Morris and Smith typically practiced for the full two hour block every single day, while Stefanski practices between 60-90 minutes most days. Some days were closer to the full two hours, but especially early in camp, practices were shorter and lighter.
That being said, when the pads came on, Stefanski actually allowed full contact tackling. This is not something that we saw from Morris. The players seemed very happy about this, with several mentioning how different this approach was from the previous regime. While we haven’t seen the preseason games yet, Stefanski mentioned that he’s likely to play starters in both the first and third games, and that there’s going to be a lot more emphasis on the preseason in general. That’s a major departure from Morris, who refused to play any starters in preseason.
Again, we don’t know how this will play out and translate into the regular season. The team already suffered one major season-ending injury in practice, and risking starters in preseason action remains a controversial decision. It’s also one that’s been embraced by a number of the top teams in the league, so perhaps there is some correlation. We’ll see how this plays out over the next month.
The quarterback competition between Penix and Tua is real
Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t been cleared for full contact, and there’s no telling exactly when that will happen. That being said, Penix doesn’t appear to have any limitations, physically speaking. While he’s not participating in full team 11-on-11 work, he’s taking a similar allotment of snaps to Tua Tagovailoa and the other quarterbacks in 7-on-7.
Penix is healthier than most outsiders assume based on reporting. Watching him in camp, it looks like he could be cleared any day—and his lack of clearance is probably more precautionary than anything. Penix himself said as much, saying he feels great, is getting a little bit better every day, and also could theoretically be cleared “any day”. The last step for him is final clearance from his doctor, which doesn’t have a specific timeline at this point. My guess is if all goes well, the hope will be to get Penix cleared for at least the third preseason game. In order for Penix to have a shot to start Week 1, I think he’d need to be getting full team work by at least that time.
All that being said, Tua Tagovailoa has looked good in training camp. He’s been very efficient overall and typically superior to Penix in the red zone, although Penix has continuously wowed with his deep ball and aggressiveness on deeper targets. It’s difficult to compare the two because Penix’s snaps are more or less on a timer (with a simulated pass rush) versus Tua’s being an actual offensive line versus defensive line situation. Sometimes Tua gets more time as a result, sometimes a lot less. Obviously, Tua’s 11-on-11 snaps are more representative of an actual game environment.
That’s why it’s important for Penix to get some full team reps, sooner than later. At this point, he’s done a great job of keeping up with Tua based on the eye test. But without full team reps to make a direct comparison, the team may be forced to go with Tua for the early part of the season, simply because he’s been able to practice with the full team and Penix has not.
It’s also important to note that the QB competition isn’t going to end with the Week 1 starter being named. This is likely to be an ongoing battle, no matter who wins the job to open the season. Even if Tua is given the job initially, he’ll have to play well to keep the team from going to Penix, and vice versa. There’s no loyalty to either player from the coaching staff or front office at this stage.
The most impressive player of camp? WR Zachariah Branch
This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but the most impressive player of the first week of Falcons training camp is rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch. The electric athlete wowed early with his 1-on-1 prowess, then continued his dominance into team drills and fully padded practices. His route running is far more advanced than what he showed on tape at Georgia, and his hands have arguably been the best of any receiver at camp. That’s not to say he’s been flawless, but for a third-round rookie to be the story of camp? Far beyond even my most optimistic expectations.
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