The Falcons are still a few weeks away from the start of training camp, but the news cycle around Atlanta keeps moving. Rookies are set to report to Flowery Branch on July 24, veterans follow on July 28, and the first official practice lands on July 29. Until then, there’s plenty to sort through, from Michael Penix Jr.’s health to Kyle Pitts’ new cap number and a few national shoutouts for Falcons players.
One of the biggest updates came with Penix. The Falcons are hoping he’ll be cleared for contact before camp opens later this month, and while he still has time left in the recovery process, he was recently seen throwing at a quarterback camp. The QB Stable Instagram page posted video of Penix and added the caption, "Can confirm that he’s ready."
There’s also fresh clarity on Matt Ryan’s role with the organization. According to The Athletic’s Josh Kendall, Ryan’s title as Falcons President of Football comes with real authority.
Kendall wrote that Ryan “has the final say on all things related to the on-field product in Atlanta,” even though his most visible offseason job has been serving as an extra arm during practice. Kendall also wrote, "Matt Ryan won’t stay out of practice drills," and noted that the Falcons hired their all-time leading passer and the ostensibly retired Ryan as their new royally titled President of Football.
Kyle Pitts’ new extension is already doing work for the Falcons’ books. The three-year deal opened up about $11 million in salary cap space for the 2026 season, and his cap hit is under $5 million this year. Per Over The Cap, Atlanta now has more than $37 million in available cap space.
The national praise hasn’t stopped there. ESPN’s Ben Solak picked Brandon Dorlus as Atlanta’s breakout candidate for the 2026 season.
Solak pointed to Dorlus’ ability to finish plays after edge rushers force quarterbacks to move, while also praising how he uses his length and flexibility to shed blocks and work through traffic. He wrote that Dorlus is especially effective “as a looper or crasher in blitz packages, with a great knack for becoming skinny as he works through the line of scrimmage.”
Bijan Robinson picked up another major honor, too. After being voted the NFL’s No. 1 running back in ESPN’s poll of league executives, Pro Football Focus also placed him at the top of its 2026 running back rankings. PFF highlighted Robinson’s 204 forced missed tackles since entering the league, his 2,716 yards after contact, and his 1,738 career receiving yards, while also saying no running back has been more valuable than him over the past two seasons by PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric.
Julio Jones earned some more respect from a former opponent as well. Darius Slay, now retired after six Pro Bowl seasons, was asked to rank the top five wide receivers he faced and put Jones at No.
- Slay said, "He's a guy that never talks trash.
Never did. He just kept going," and added, "He was amazing, man.
One of the best to ever do it. So that's my third spot."
And in one more national note tied to Atlanta, Bleacher Report floated Tua Tagovailoa as a dark-horse Comeback Player of the Year candidate for 2026, should he win the starting job. Alex Kay wrote that if Tagovailoa takes the QB1 role, he’ll have the kind of support around him - including Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson - that could help him return to top-passers form. Kay also called Tagovailoa’s 45-1 odds “simply too alluring to ignore.”
In Other News...
Cash Jones Has A Chance To Become Falcons Camp X-Factor
Cash Jones has already given the Falcons something to watch once training camp opens, and it starts with a notable shift in how Atlanta plans to use him. The undrafted free agent is moving from running back to full-time slot wide receiver, a change that gives him a cleaner path to carve out a role while also asking him to prove he can handle a new job at the NFL level.
Atlanta already has four receivers viewed as roster locks, which leaves a small opening for the rest of the group to fight over. Jones is in that mix with Dylan Drummond, Chris Blair, Vinny Anthony and Keelan Marion, and every rep in camp and the preseason will matter as he tries to show he belongs in the conversation for one of the final receiver spots. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Have One Camp Receiver Fans Need To Watch Closely
The Falcons entered the spring needing to reshape a receiver room that lost Darnell Mooney in March, and the front office has since added a handful of role players, including Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson, as it looks for dependable answers. Even with those moves, the depth chart still feels open enough that training camp, set to begin in late July, should give several young receivers a real chance to force their way into the conversation.
One name to keep close tabs on is rookie Keelan Marion, who arrives with a productive college rsum across multiple schools and a path to meaningful snaps if he can separate himself in camp. Atlanta is clearly hoping an undrafted player can emerge and help fill out a thin wideout group, and Marion fits the profile of someone who could make the competition interesting once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]