Everything we learned from Falcons sixth training camp practice

Walker rode to the locker room, his back straight up, his legs extended. Teammates embraced him before he left. Uncertainty lingered; fears heightened. The Falcons await a final answer to confirm or deny their nightmare of Walker suffering a season-ending injury.

It’s the first major injury for the Falcons this summer. They’ve had players limited or inactive for practices at various points, but no new ailments arose until Walker, who’s equal parts impressive for his sturdy edge-setting and pass rush promise as for his comfort with leading despite his youth.

Should Walker be ruled out for the entire season, the Falcons’ outside linebacker room enters a precarious position, especially with standout James Pearce Jr. still awaiting an answer from the NFL on a potential suspension for his February arrest.

That’s how a once-smooth Tuesday afternoon turned into a costly, abrupt end with consequences potentially lingering throughout the season.

Walker aside, here’s everything else to know from the Falcons’ sixth training camp practice.

QB rundown: Penix rocky, Tagovailoa steady, Rush has best day yet

After waiting nearly an hour Monday before getting his 7-on-7 reps, Michael Penix Jr. kicked off the action Tuesday. He was up and down, similar to his ball trajectory. He finished 5-for-9 passing and aggressively pushed the ball past the first down marker, as seven of his nine attempts went at least 10 yards.

Penix’s misses, however, weren’t pretty. He missed high to receivers Jahan Dotson and Zachariah Branch, and he led receiver Dylan Drummond so far that Drummond couldn’t even get a finger on the ball.

Here’s Penix’s passing chart, courtesy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s new data tracking tool.

Tua Tagovailoa, who’s still recovering from a flared-up back injury, remained marginally limited Tuesday. He missed a few throwing drills during warmups and participated less in 11-on-11 than healthy quarterbacks Jack Strand and Cooper Rush, but he expects to be a full-go Wednesday.

Tagovailoa went 3-for-5 passing, including 1 of 2 on intermediate passes and overthrowing his first real deep shot of camp to receiver Drake London.

Here’s his passing chart:

Rush had the most impressive day of the bunch. He went 5-for-8 passing, led by a zipped throw over the middle to Dylan Drummond for a first down and a rolling pass into a narrow window to tight end Austin Hooper.

Strand was the most efficient, going 6-for-9 passing, but much of his work came underneath. He only attempted one throw beyond 10 yards, and it was a throwaway — or serious miscommunication — after leaving the pocket and rolling right under pressure.

Rush led the offense to a field goal in a hurry-up drill, trailing 20-17 with 51 seconds left, while Strand’s attempt ended unsuccessfully.

Here’s how Rush and Strand compared:

Cobee Bryant has big day, cornerback battle gains intrigue

The Falcons will have to make a few tough cuts in the cornerback room later this month, and Cobee Bryant keeps complicating their decision. Bryant, an undrafted free agent in 2025 who played in seven games and made one start last season, has made more splash plays at the catch point than any of the team’s corners to start training camp.

Bryant made two impressive pass breakups Tuesday, one down the left sideline to undrafted rookie receiver Keelan Marion and another on the right sideline intended for Dotson.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Bryant faces stiff competition to make the team’s roster. Of the team’s 13 cornerbacks, only three — A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes and Avieon Terrell — feel like safe bets.

The nickel competition between A.J. Woods and Darnay Holmes raged on Tuesday, while backup outside corners Clark Phillips III and C.J. Henderson have both delivered solid camps in coverage. There’s also Mike Ford Jr., a veteran special teams ace.

Bryant has largely worked as a third-string corner, so his path to the roster hinges on more days like Tuesday, where he was sticky in coverage and disruptive at the catch point.

Right tackle, linebacker rotations continue

The Falcons practiced again without right tackle Jawaan Taylor, and their three-way snap split between Michael Jerrell, Ethan Onianwa and Brandon Walton continued after being introduced Monday. Jerrell looks the best of the three, and he took a few snaps at left tackle in an 11-on-11 period, too.

At linebacker, Christian Harris saw the bulk of the snaps next to Divine Deablo, but in two-minute drills, rookie Harold Perkins Jr. received the entirety of the action. Perkins appears to have an early role as a pass-rushing linebacker, something his position coach, Barrett Ruud said comes naturally to him.

Perkins agreed.

“That is something God gave me,” Perkins said. “I can’t even explain it.”

Harris said during OTAs he didn’t have much experience playing along the line of scrimmage, while Perkins extensively operated on the edge at LSU. The sixth-round pick is seemingly well-positioned to get legitimate defensive snaps this fall.

Extracurriculars: Bijan returns, injury news, rest days

Perkins’ fellow rookie linebacker, fourth-round pick Kendal Daniels, didn’t practice Tuesday. He’s getting scheduled rest days while managing a calf injury. Standout safety Jessie Bates III also didn’t practice because of what’s believed to be a veteran rest day.

The Falcons practiced without defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand, who left Monday’s session early with an undisclosed injury. Stefanski said he didn’t expect Hand’s absence to be lengthy.

Robinson practiced for the first time in training camp, going through warmups with the running backs before working on a side field. He didn’t participate in team drills and will slowly ramp back to being a full-go in camp.

What’s next

The Falcons have a quick turnaround, as they’re slated for a padded practice at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday in Flowery Branch.