The top of the Falcons’ receiver room looks pretty straightforward. Drake London and Jahan Dotson appear set to lead the way in two-wide sets, with London, Dotson and either Olamide Zaccheus or third-round rookie Zachariah Branch lining up together when Atlanta goes three deep.
It’s the back end of the depth chart where things get messy. The Falcons have a crowd of players fighting for those last two spots, including a wave of 2026 undrafted free agents, but none of them have generated much buzz. That spotlight has instead landed on a familiar name: Chris Blair.
Blair once looked like a player firmly on the outside looking in, but his work in camp has changed that conversation. He’s made himself harder to ignore, and that’s raising his chances of being part of the Week 1 roster. In a room filled with new faces from this regime, it’s the veteran who has now worked under three head coaches who has injected some life into the competition.
The 28-year-old turned in a strong rep in Friday’s 1-on-1 work against rookie cornerback Avieon Terrell, but that was hardly an isolated moment. Blair has built solid chemistry with most of the quarterbacks in camp, and he’s been a particularly reliable target for recently signed Cooper Rush.
One of the best plays of Falcons camp came late last week when Rush found Blair in a red zone drill. Blair had to juggle the ball with one hand, then keep fighting through more juggling before finally securing it and getting both feet down for the touchdown.
It was the kind of sequence that stands out in a crowded battle. With Atlanta adding more competition at receiver, Blair has responded by putting his best foot forward and making a strong impression in the first week of camp.
There’s still a long way to go, and nothing is locked in yet. The Alcorn State product still has to carry this momentum through the rest of training camp and the preseason if he wants to truly secure a spot. But after spending the last three years in Atlanta, Blair has clearly gone from a likely cut to a player who has given himself a real shot at the WR6 job.
As camp moves on, the picture keeps sharpening: Chris Blair has turned a spot on the bubble into a legitimate chance to save himself, and that could show up on Atlanta’s Week 1 depth chart.
In Other News...
Jessie Bates Absence Just Raised A Bigger Question For Falcons Fans
Jessie Bates has not been a fixture at recent Falcons training camp sessions, and the silence around his absence has only added to the sense that something more than a routine summer update could be in play. Atlanta is still in a rebuilding phase and has to keep one eye on the cap, which is why every missing veteran draws a little more attention than usual this time of year.
ESPNs Seth Walder recently raised the possibility of Bates becoming a trade candidate, pointing to the 49ers as a logical fit if Atlanta ever decided to move him. San Franciscos defense is now guided by former Falcons coach Raheem Morris, which only makes the idea more interesting from Atlantas perspective, even if there is still no clear answer on whether Bates absence is tied to injury or contract negotiations. [Read more 🡒]
Bralen Trice Is Giving Falcons Fans A Reason To Watch Camp
Bralen Trice has spent nearly two years in rehab instead of on an NFL field, so his first extended run with Falcons training camp reps is drawing attention for obvious reasons. The third-year edge rusher has yet to appear in a regular-season game after tearing an ACL in his rookie preseason and then dealing with another knee injury in 2025, but he is back in camp and taking first-team snaps while working his way into the mix.
For Atlanta, the appeal is easy to see. The Falcons already have established pass rushers in place, and the plan is to use Trice in a rotational role rather than rush him into a bigger burden. Even so, a healthy and confident Trice gives the staff another potential piece off the edge, and it gives fans a more interesting camp storyline than the usual summer checklist of who is simply making it through practice. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Fans Wont Like This Jessie Bates Trade Idea
A recent ESPN trade idea around Jessie Bates III is the kind of thing Falcons fans probably wont enjoy seeing pop up in July. Seth Walder floated a speculative move that would send the veteran safety to the 49ers as part of a broader roster upgrade exercise for San Francisco, putting one of Atlantas most important defensive pieces into a very different uniform on paper.
Bates remains under contract for the coming season, which is exactly why the suggestion feels more like roster theory than imminent transaction talk. Even so, his future is part of the conversation, since he is headed toward free agency afterward, and any outside chatter about Atlantas defensive backbone is going to draw attention long before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]