Movers and shakers of Falcons first preseason sport vs. Detroit Lions – Atlanta Falcons

Senior Reporter
ATLANTA — Generally preseason video games do not give us a lot data to work with. That was not the case within the Falcons’ first preseason sport towards the Detroit Lions Friday night time.
The sport was finally lower brief due to a critical harm to Lions security Morice Norris firstly of the fourth quarter. All reports from the Lions organization are that Norris is doing well and averted something critical, which is one of the best information anybody may have hoped for following the incident.
With that stated, previous to the incident, we had been studying fairly a bit about the place the Falcons’ roster finds itself on the start of the preseason. With so many people vying not just for roster spots however for beginning spots, there have been gamers who had been shifting and shaking their method via the roster within the aftermath of Friday’s play.
Tori McElhaney takes a have a look at those that she believes made the most important jumps on the roster — each up and down it as joint practices loom with the Tennessee Titans this week.
Since being drafted 4 years in the past, Malone is somebody who has struggled to discover a good match. He was drafted beneath the guise of being a flexible piece, however whether or not it’s the modifications in defensive scheme yearly, or coaches discovering it exhausting to put him wherever defensively, he is gotten misplaced within the shuffle. He is nonetheless carried out properly for Atlanta on particular groups, however the worth past that was questionable.
Friday’s sport confirmed, nonetheless, that there’s extra worth to Malone than what was beforehand established. For the reason that tail finish of final season, Malone started cross coaching as an inside linebacker together with nonetheless getting just a few conventional edge seems. His skill to step into the within linebacker place will not be solely good for him, however good for the Falcons.
Final season’s accidents to the within linebacker corp created the need to construct depth on the place. Lingering accidents to Troy Andersen and harm historical past of JD Bertrand has carried that notion into this preseason. Enter Malone, who took all of his first-half reps at inside linebacker alongside Josh Woods. Although Woods had the inexperienced dot and was calling the protection, Malone held his personal on the spot. He completed with 5 mixed tackles, barely behind Woods on the defensive crew leaderboard.
By the beginning of the second half, the Falcons had moved Malone again to the defensive entrance, coming off the sting. His versatility and the way in which the Falcons are deploying him via observe to get reps at each positions skyrockets his significance on this 53-man roster, in my view.
Hellams returned with a vengeance, did not he? After a yr off the turf due to an harm sustained in final season’s first preseason sport towards Miami, you could not miss Hellams on Friday night time. He was in every single place, showcasing the physicality that earned him the nickname “Bamm-Bamm” by his teammates.
As we’ve mentioned all all through coaching camp, Hellams is properly within the combat for a beginning job alongside Jessie Bates III. He is actively competing with Jordan Fuller and Xavier Watts. And of the three, it was Hellams who had the loudest and most notable efficiency Friday. How does that shake out the competitors? If something, I feel it makes it much more heightened as joint practices get underway this week. For this particular place battle, this week stands out as the one we flip to when discussing who solidified themselves previous to Week 1.
When Raheem Morris introduced that neither Michael Penix Jr. nor Kirk Cousins would play in Friday’s sport, I can be trustworthy that I did not suppose a lot of the quarterback scenario past that. And that was my mistake, or perhaps, it simply left me pleasantly stunned by Stick’s efficiency within the first half Friday. I dubbed it a “sneakily strong outing,” as a result of swiftly I regarded up and we had been within the waning minutes of the second quarter and Stick’s stat line was fairly dang good.
He completed his night 15-of-18 via the air, accumulating 149 passing yards and tossing one landing. Maybe as a result of the run sport by no means acquired going (extra on that later) I assumed too rapidly that the complete offensive efficiency was a wash. That wasn’t the case. In actual fact, wanting again, Stick was spectacular in his reliability. He managed a really clear operation — one thing that’s troublesome to do in a preseason setting. All of this realizing that within the week main as much as the primary preseason sport, Stick acquired only a few reps. In Wednesday’s scrimmage, he acquired a pair collection to get right into a circulate. The majority of his workload — I might argue — in complete got here in Friday’s first half. The actual fact he managed a efficiency so clear and with out many errors is a testomony to him and what the Falcons have in him.
If there was a doubt whether or not the Falcons would carry three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, I feel Stick gained me over Friday to maintain a spot open for him.
I’m not going to lie, the Falcons’ wrestle to run the ball Friday night time involved me. And sure, I do know this wasn’t the beginning offensive line on the market, nor was Bijan Robinson or Tyler Allgeier operating the rock. And sure, I additionally know the sport was lower brief.
Nonetheless, I anticipated extra consistency from a bunch that truly had just a few items returning to it.
In complete, the Falcons ran the ball 11 instances for 22 yards — a mean of two yards per carry. The longest run got here from Emory Jones, which was a 9-yard scramble. Whereas I do not suppose a shortened, singular preseason sport is sufficient to warrant absolute concern for the group, I do suppose it offers me pause.
I assume the counterargument to that’s that the cross sport — notably with Stick in — was churning a bit extra manufacturing. And for probably the most half, Stick was protected properly. The bread and butter of this crew all through the previous couple of years has been its skill to constantly run the ball. Not seeing the second-team give you the chance to take action towards the Lions Friday is one thing that deserves monitoring.
I’ll preface this part by noting Phillips is harm and hasn’t practiced since taking a tough hit in Tuesday’s indoor observe. That stated, even earlier than his harm I used to be involved with how little I used to be speaking about him and the way a lot I used to be speaking about Natrone Brooks.
Brooks has been a standout in camp, a lot in order that even somebody like Kaden Elliss stated Brooks is the participant who’s embodied Jeff Ulbrich’s “coronary heart, thoughts, fist” mantra. Brooks continued to indicate worth within the stay seems he acquired as one of many second-team corners. Between Brooks and Lamar Jackson, is Phillips getting misplaced within the shuffle?
Earlier within the spring, Raheem Morris stated the Falcons deliberate on shifting Phillips to nickel. Effectively, we’re weeks into coaching camp and I do not suppose I’ve seen Phillips take one snap from the slot. That is Dee Alford and Billy Bowman Jr.’s race. Heck, even Mike Ford has gotten some seems on the spot.
So, the place does that go away Phillips? At this level, I’m not positive, and I’m beginning to get involved about what his spot — and position — on this roster really seems like.
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