Ever since the Atlanta Falcons drafted Avieon Terrell in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the notion was that Mike Hughes' future in Atlanta was on a clock. He's been floated as a potential cap casualty or trade candidate for months now, but the closer we get to the season, the clearer it gets that he's not going anywhere.
It hasn't been much, but Kevin Stefanski has used the first couple of days of training camp to reinforce how the Falcons feel about Hughes. He's gotten all of the first-team reps at cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell, while Avieon has worked with the second-team and/or started in the nickel.
Considering how they could have just used the second Terrell pick to slowly fizzle the 29-year-old out of the cornerback rotation. this is a pretty clear show of faith in him. I guess they think his down year was a fluke, and are expecting him to bounce back instead of trying to move on from him this season.
The Atlanta Falcons still view Mike Hughes as a starter-level cornerback
Not only have the Falcons proved their faith in Mike Hughes, he proved that faith was well-placed to start training camp. During Friday's practice session, some 1-on-1 WR/CB drills saw the veteran cornerback have his best practice of the summer--with some really nice reps against Drake London.
During one particular rep as recorded by The AJC's Daniel Flick, Hughes jammed London at the line of scrimmage, and was able to force an incompletion from Michael Penix Jr.--but if this is a real game, London may have drawn a flag for defensive pass interference because of some minor hand-fighting.
Last season, teams frequently picked on the 2018 first-round pick prior to his season-ending ankle injury, but hopefully this is a sign that the Hughes we saw in 2024 is still there. It's become clear that just because other teams may see him as the weak link in the CB room, the Dirty Birds clearly don't.
Until further notice, the UCF product will remain Atlanta's CB2, which is objectively the correct choice. They aren't exactly brimming with cornerback depth--and it was even worse when he got hurt. So knowing Hughes is having a strong camp will effectively silence the trade speculation that previously sparked.
One thing has become clear in training camp: even though the Falcons drafted an exciting rookie who has gotten better as the summer has progressed in Avieon Terrell, but his presence (and the threat of possibly losing his job) have unlocked another side of Mike Hughes we've waited all summer to see.
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