Falcons secondary is starting to take shape

Right corner Mike Hughes appears set opposite Terrell.

“We are just preparing ourselves,” Terrell said. “Having that mental, physical and emotional intelligence to come out here and understand that our game reps are limited, little to none.”

The Falcons are fine with getting most of their work in practice, as they had a closed jog-through Tuesday.

“Just coming out here and just knowing that we have to attack each day as if we are playing a game, or try to simulate it as much as possible,” Terrell said.

The Falcons will open the season with a big NFC South game against Tampa Bay at 1 p.m. Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“You can believe it’s definitely highlighted on everyone’s schedule,” Terrell said. “You are definitely doing the countdown. Once the season gets rolling, you know how it goes.”

Watts, who was taken in the third round of the draft out of Notre Dame, played 33 defensive snaps (52%) of the exhibition game Friday against the Titans. He made two tackles.

Watts has enjoyed his first NFL training camp.

“It’s just awesome,” Watts said. “It really requires your best every day. Every day that I step into this building, I’m competing, now just against my teammates, but against myself as well. The challenge is on me to study harder, make my body feel better. It just requires a lot and I’m enjoying it.”

Watts was the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in 2023, which is awarded to the nation’s top defensive player. Watts finished his storied Notre Dame career tied for third all-time at the school with 13 career interceptions.

However, adapting to the NFL has been a challenge.

“My mental (approach) has been challenged a lot,” Watts said. “It’s been a grind. You come from college, you’re the guy, you’re the man. You come in here and then you step on the field with the best safety in the NFL.”

Jessie Bates III has been accommodating.

“It’s a jump, but it’s been awesome having Jessie, who is such a good teammate and a leader,” Watts said, who got the flow of what a game was like while playing so much against the Titans.

But, the Falcons do most of their heavy lifting in practice.

“Our offense has been challenging us a lot,” Watts said. “We are getting some looks that we might not ever see in the regular season. So, I mean it’s been good to get those adjustments out of the way.”

Bates can tell that Watts is getting more comfortable. He’s speaking up more in the meeting room.

“I came in and was a little shy,” Watts said. “I didn’t know what to expect. There were a lot of good dudes. They were very welcoming. I’ve been opening up a little bit. I haven’t fully opened up yet, but I’m talking a little bit more.”

Bowman, Alford and Mike Ford are the main competitors at nickel back. Clark Phillips III has been slowed by a rib injury.

Also, the Falcons signed C.J. Henderson, a first-round pick by the Jaguars in 2020.

Henderson signed Thursday. He dressed, but didn’t play against the Titans. The Falcons plan to play him against the Cowboys.

Watts and Bowman, who was taken in the fourth round of the draft, have been impressive.

“They’re both doing an excellent job, especially for rookies,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “It doesn’t matter what year they’re in. Both, obviously, new to the system, as the rest of the (defensive backs) are, as the rest of the defense is in a lot of ways.”

Ulbrich likes the way both players have approached their onboarding to the NFL.

“They have uncommon maturity for rookies,” Ulbrich said. “I don’t see … the swings. You don’t see the bad day, the good day, the good move, the bad move. They’ve both been very steady.”