Friday's preseason opener ended in a nightmare with a terrifying injury to Marice Norris, and we certainly send well wishes to him and hope he will be okay.
Early in the game, one player stood out among the rest for the Atlanta Falcons: DeMarcco Hellams.
Hellams, who is returning from a season-ending injury in last year's preseason, showed no fear on the field. He consistently flashed on both defense and special teams, which has now secured his roster spot, effectively capping off the safety position.
DeMarcco Hellams' massive game will land him on the final roster
You could've closed your eyes and still known DeMarcco Hellams was playing like a bat out of hell.
He looked nothing like a player who went down with a season-ending injury in this same game one year ago. He was running around at full speed and put his shoulder on any offensive player who was willing to get in his way.
Not only was he making an impact on defense, but he was doing the same on special teams.
This shows just how much this team missed him last year. He ended his rookie season as a starter, and his injury last year forced the Falcons to play Richie Grant more than they would've liked.
Maybe having him would've changed the secondary's struggles last year, or perhaps it wouldn't have. Either way, they would've been better off with him.
Fortunately, the Falcons have him back for what is shaping up to be a surprising season by him.
The Dirty Birds have a good problem on the backend of the defense. They have four starting-caliber safeties.
Jessie Bates III is as good as it gets at the position, Jordan Fuller was excellent for Raheem Morris in Los Angeles, Xavier Watts is an exciting rookie, and Hellams is showing us all what he can do.
At the very least, DeMarcco Hellams figures to have a big impact on special teams, but we certainly hope he can continue his hard-hitting ways in the regular season.