Thankfully, the Atlanta Falcons' second day of training camp were far less chaotic than the opening day, and along with it came with significantly less bad news. But that doesn't mean that they didn't have their fair share of intriguing storylines surface during the Thursday's session.
We saw Michael Penix Jr. have a scheduled rest day while Tua Tagovailoa made his return to practice, but neither of them were full-go. For the second straight day, it was undrafted rookie Jack Strand and new free agent pickup Cooper Rush who took the snaps for the Falcons during the 11-on-11 period.
The quarterback news will always dominate the headlines, especially when you don't have a concrete starter, but that hasn't been the only thing to take note of. So important updates don't go unnoticed, get these are the five most important storylines you might have missed from Thursday's practice.
What are the biggest storylines from Day 2 of Falcons training camp?
There is nothing to worry about on the Brian Robinson Jr. front
One of the biggest concerns that surfaced from Wednesday's practice was Brian Robinson Jr. going down with an injury. He came up a little awkwardly on a pass-catching drill and remained off to the side, but did not return. Thankfully, there's no long-term issue here, which was confirmed yesterday.
With Bijan Robinson still holding in for a new contract extension, the running back room got a major reinforcement. Robinson Jr. returned to practice and took first-team carries as if nothing was wrong in the first place.
The nickel corner competition has a leader starting to pull away
The Falcons have been taking a close look at several nickel cornerback options with Billy Bowman Jr. sidelined. Darnay Holmes and Sydney Brown both got a few reps in the slot yesterday, and there is also the possibility that second-round rookie Avieon Terrell begins his NFL career starting at nickel.
However, they are not the only ones embroiled in this battle. AJ Woods got some first-team reps in the nickel on Wednesday as well, and that continued once again. ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported that Woods got the majority of reps with the first-team defense out of the nickel on Thursday morning.
A (mostly) good day for Jack Strand
With Penix not yet cleared for full contact and Tua Tagovailoa not all the way back to 100%, it was another day of Jack Strand taking the majority of first-team reps in 11-on-11. And in doing so, he went 6-of-9 passing, which isn't too shabby for a player who has zero NFL (or D1) experience to date.
Strand also threw a short touchdown pass to Drake London in a red-zone drill, but his day also came with a minor blemish. He threw an interception when he threw behind his intended receiver, which resulted in a one-handed interception from C.J. Henderson--who's also been having a good summer.
The Bill Callahan hire is receiving rave reviews
One of the most important offseason hires the Falcons made this offseason was replacing offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford with legendary OL coach Bill Callahan, a close collaborator of Kevin Stefanski's, and the Dirty Birds are already feeling the effects of one of the best in the business.
While addressing the media, longtime offensive tackle Jake Matthews sung Calllahan's praises, calling him “One of the most meticulous and one of the most detailed coaches I’ve been around”. And we should definitely see a more physical side of this offensive line under some new leadership.
Another position change for Cash Jones
We know Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. will spearhead Atlanta's rushing attack, but the RB3 job is still up for grabs. Will it be Nate Carter or Tyler Goodson? Nobody knows. But it sounds like another, more unexpected name is threatening to throw a wrench in our future expectations.
The Falcons signed Georgia RB Cash Jones as an undrafted free agent and planned to convert him into a slot receiver earlier this offseason. However, he's gotten more usage as a running back in training camp--and his pass-catching speciality is different to the other backs he's competing with.
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