Falcons training camp begins officially Wednesday, with the first practices at Flowery Branch.
Rookies and veterans already arrived at camp, a clear sign that it’s happening — football is back.
The new front office and coaching staff are looking to change the culture and get the Falcons back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Among the many storylines to watch, the quarterback position will be one of the focal points of training camp, as Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa vie for the starting job.
Check out the latest updates from the AJC staff, including beat writer Daniel Flick and photos by Miguel Martinez.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London appears to be a fan of undrafted rookie quarterback Jack Strand.
Strand has been the talk of training camp thus far, seeing the bulk of 11-on-11 reps, with Tua Tagovailoa limited and Michael Penix Jr. recovering from a torn ACL.
"That dude's a tank, bro," London said. "He's huge, man. He's a big person, but he's a quiet guy. He's about his business, and it's dope to see him out there try to grasp everything and then just play ball at the end of the day and he's doing a great job."
The Atlanta Falcons have signed linebacker Josh Woods.
In a corresponding move, the club has released defensive tackle Ross Blacklock.
Woods was originally signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft out of Maryland.
In seven seasons in the NFL, Woods has spent time with Chicago (2019-21), Detroit Lions (2020-22), Arizona Cardinals (2023) and the Atlanta Falcons (2024-25).
Woods has played in 82 games (eight starts) and registered 137 tackles (85 solo), four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defense.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London proposed to his girlfriend of three years, Sofia Rose Gabay, on July 2. Within the proposal, London added a unique touch: a dinner from Taco Bell.
"She loves Taco Bell, and funny enough, I think it was our second date and she explained that, 'Oh my God, it would be a dream if someone proposed to me with Taco Bell,'" London said. "I said, 'Noted.'"
The couple announced their engagement to Instagram on July 6. London is entering his fifth season with the Falcons after signing a four-year, $141 million contract extension with the team on June 2.
Falcons rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, a native of Beggs, Oklahoma, said after Day 2 of training camp that he is still adjusting to the fame being an NFL player brings.
“Usually I could go home and go to stores and stuff, and now I can’t,” Daniels said. “It’s a lot of pictures and autographs, but it’s not bad. I love doing stuff like that, but that’s the biggest part of it. I think of myself as a regular small-town kid still, and it’s different when I go back home. All the kids look up to me now. I reach a bigger audience.”
Falcons quarterback Jack Strand has seen plenty of reps to begin training camp, with Tua Tagovailoa limited and Michael Penix Jr. not cleared for 11-on-11 work.
The undrafted rookie out of Minnesota State Moorhead says that despite the surprise surge in snap share, he has kept his mentality the same.
"It's the same thing whatever reps I get," he said. "Whether it's 20 reps in practice, whether it's two reps in practice, I've just got to take advantage of those reps (and) treat those reps like they're game reps."
The Falcons are back on the field for Day 2 of training camp here in Flowery Branch.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is practicing, but doing separate drills from fellow signal-callers Jack Strand and Cooper Rush.
Rush signed with the team Wednesday morning after Tagovailoa missed Day 1 with an injury.
There was a little bit of news for yesterday's opening of training camp.
The Falcons' quarterback situation, which was intriguing with an anticipated competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, took another twist, as Penix wasn't cleared for 11-on-11 practice and Tagovailoa sat out because of an injury.
Thursday should be a lighter day — it would almost have to be, comparatively.
Here's a recap of yesterday's news:
- Sugiura: Of course, Falcons start camp with both QBs sidelined
- What we learned from the Falcons’ first training camp practice
- Michael Penix Jr. could still be 4 weeks from full return
- Tua Tagovailoa battling back injury, out for start of training camp
- Falcons sign veteran QB Cooper Rush after Tagovailoa injury
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