After a Tuesday practice filled with heartbreak, the Atlanta Falcons returned to the practice field on Wednesday, where the pads came back on for the second time this summer and the first time since Monday, since league rules mandate teams not being allowed to have full pads on two straight days.
Unfortunately, we didn't have a "what you missed" from Tuesday's practice because the Jalon Walker injury ended practice early and overshadowed any possible storylines. And losing Walker for the season due to a torn ACL has left the Falcons in a precarious position in regards to their pass-rush.
Wednesday's practice offered some answers in that area, we saw Avieon Terrell pick off Tua Tagovailoa for his first interception of the summer, and Michael Penix Jr. had a good day in 7-on-7s. So beyond those bigger storylines, here are the five storylines you may have missed on Wednesday.
What are the biggest storylines from Day 7 of Falcons training camp?
Antwane Wells Jr. continues to turn heads
In terms of the wide receiver battle, two players have done the most to help themselves: Chris Blair and Antwane Wells Jr., whom Atlanta signed a few months ago. Blair may have an upper hand because he's been around here longer, but Casey Washington's replacement has been great too.
Juice Wells has become a popular target for Michael Penix Jr. across the last couple of days. He caught a deep touchdown from Penix in the 1-on-1 period that was the best play from that portion--and they've connected on many other downfield shots, including a beauty to end Monday's practice.
The 2025 UDFA from Ole Miss is putting himself in a situation where he has a real shot to make the Falcons' roster--especially if they roster six receivers.
Bijan Robinson speaks on his new contract extension
On Tuesday morning, the Dirty Birds made Bijan Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history. They signed him to a three-year, $66.75 million contract extension that'll max out at $75 million--and has $51 million at guaranteed money. So of course, he's plenty grateful for the payday.
While addressing the media for the first time since signing his new deal, he revealed some interesting tidbits. He revealed Matthew McConaughey texted to congratulate him within minutes of the news breaking, and ex-Falcons head coach Arthur Smith texted him as well. But that's not all.
However, the most interesting thing the 24-year-old said at the podium was that he was struggling on the sideline during his hold-in, because he was "itching" to get back out on the field with his teammates.
The post-Walker pass-rush rotation has started to become clear
With Jalon Walker out for the season, the Falcons' pass-rush remained effective. Samson Ebukam recorded an early sack, and AJ Woods got one on a cornerback blitz. However, it seems that free-agent pickup Cameron Thomas got the bulk of Walker's snap share with the first-team defense.
Ebukam and Thomas look like the early favorites to start should James Pearce Jr. get suspended, but that's not all. Bralen Trice will mix in, and third-year DT Brandon Dorlus reportedly did individual work with the edge rushers, so there will be a lot of players in the mix for snaps regardless of whether or not a free agent is signed.
Some major injury updates are coming to the surface
The Falcons have been riddled with injuries even outside of the Jalon Walker debacle. ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported that DT Da'Shawn Hand and OT Wanya Morris didn't practice for the second straight day, and the same could be said for Jessie Bates, but we don't know what's wrong with him.
After a strong start to training camp, CJ Henderson has also been held out the last two days of practice, and it appears he's also banged up. With Henderson sidelined, Cobee Bryant and Clark Phillips have received additional opportunities--and both had nice plays in practice. Bryant had a PBU in 11-on-11, while Phillips forced a fumble on rookie WR Zachariah Branch.
Is Zach Harrison nearing a return?
One of the biggest pieces of news from Falcons' camp on Wednesday was about an injured player. Zach Harrison has spent all of training camp on the reserve/non-football injury (NFI) list, but it seems like he's on the right track to being activated sometime in the near future.
The Falcoholic's Kevin Knight reported that while Harrison was still working on the rehab field, he had his helmet on. It seems like he's inching closer to making his return, although it remains to be seen when that actually might be.
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