MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — 1. The no-spin zone: Falcons tight end coach Kevin Koger has been pleased with tight end Kyle Pitts’ play so far through training camp.
“He’s been (intentional) about it,” Koger said. “I think a lot of things he’s doing right now, he’s doing with intent. So, you can see the play-speed getting better.”
That’s what Koger stressed over the offseason. He wanted to see Pitts play fast, like he did as a rookie.
“Now, when he’s getting tired, that’s when we need to lock in and make sure we are focusing in on the little details,” Koger said. “But he’s been playing faster, and that’s a testament to him. It means a lot to him. He wants to have the year that he’s expecting out of himself. So, that’s why I’m here, to help him get there.”
Pitts is trying to rebound after two shaky seasons.
“He’s texting me at night,” Koger said. “He’s wanting to go over stuff one-on-one. He wants to come in early at 7 a.m. He wants to go over the script. Plays that we may not have hit the day before. He’s reaching out to me to get extra work in, which is encouraging.”
Pitts also is working on his in-line blocking.
“I know this has come up a lot,” Koger said. “I think a lot of it is him just being healthy, feeling good with that knee. You can see the twitch and explosion as he comes off the football. A lot of it is ‘want to’ and a ‘will.’ He has that. ... He’ll be just fine.”
2. Woerner off to good start: Falcons tight end Charlie Woerner is having a strong camp.
“Chuck has been awesome,” Koger said. “He’s very versatile in the things we can ask him to do. Not just in the run game, but also in the passing game. He’s a guy who’s proven that he’s a reliable target. When we throw the ball to him, he catches it.”
3. Fitzpatrick off to bumpy start: Falcons tight end John FitzPatrick is off to a shaky start marred by dropped passes.
“A rough first couple of days,” Koger said. “A couple of drops that he wished he had back. I told him that’s not indicative of who he is. So, I’m not too worried about that.”
The Falcons are focusing on FitzPatrick’s blocking.
“The one thing that I challenged him in this offseason is just playing on the line of scrimmage and being able to block people and put your hands on people,” Koger said. “He’s been doing that. He’s been embracing it. That’s all I can ask out of him.”
4. On Dwelley and Stogner: Koger also checked in on tight ends Ross Dwelley and Austin Stogner.
“The one thing about Ross, in a good way, sometimes when he’s in there, you don’t notice,” Koger said. “Which means that he’s just doing his job. He’s very solid. Very fundamentally sound.
“Even, young Stogner, with the few reps that he’s gotten, he has a lot of good energy. I tell the guys in the (meeting) room that he’s one of the best finishers. He has set the bar high in terms of the way you should play without the football.”
5. Jalen Ramsey matchups: Falcons coach Raheem Morris coached Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey when he played for the Rams. He’s expecting him to experiment against the Falcons’ wide receivers.
He likes to cover outside and inside receivers while preparing for the season.
“Absolutely, when he’s out there in the competitive mode, he’s trying to embarrass you,” Morris said. “So, it makes those guys get an uptick in competitive juices, and that is the fun about joint practices.”
6. Pitre on Jase McClellan: Running back Jase McClellan, who was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft this year, missed most of the offseason with a foot injury.
“Jase is doing well,” running backs coach Michael Pitre said. “He obviously comes from a big-time program in (Alabama). He’s smart. He’s an extremely confident young man. I think he’s continuing to get used to the speed of the NFL game. I’m sure this week, going against a different team, the speed is going to kick up even more there. … He just continues to improve each and every day.”
7. Robinson’s second year: Pitre doesn’t want to put any undue pressure on running back Bijan Robinson, but everyone in the organization is expecting a big leap in his second year in the NFL.
“I think in this profession and any profession, growth is how you continue to keep your job,” Pitre said. “Yeah, do we expect Bijan to be better than he was last year, absolutely. I think he would say the same thing. He expects to be better.”
It was pointed out to Pitre that Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton reached All-Pro status in his second season in the league.
“I don’t know if we can say it will be at an All-Pro level or a Pro Bowl level,” Pitre said. “We need Bijan to be the best Bijan Robinson that he could be for the Atlanta Falcons. If that means accolades and some of those things, awesome.
“That means we’re probably doing pretty well as an offense. As long as we get the wins and he’s doing well and doing his part, that’s all you can ask for. Do we expect him to be better, Yes.”
8. Falcons’ 90-man roster analysis: Need to get ready for the exhibition opener? You can review our position-by-position analysis.
Part 3: Wide receivers/tight ends
9. Official depth chart: The Falcons released their official depth chart – with 12 men on offense and defense as starters – for their exhibition opener against the Dolphins at 7 p.m. Friday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Falcons have two sets of tight ends and three wide receivers slots. That’s to account for if they decide to open the game with two tight ends or with three wide receivers.
On defense, several teams consider the nickel back as a starter and list him with the starters.
There were no surprises on offense other than Charlie Woerner being listed as a starter in the second tight end grouping. Kyle Pitts is the other starting tight end.
Ray-Ray McCloud is the starting slot receiver to go with outside wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney.
On defense, linebacker Troy Andersen is listed as the starter over Nate Landman, who was the team’s third-leading tackler last season. Andersen is coming back from a torn pectoral muscle.
Safety Richie Grant, who lost his job late last season, is listed as a starter ahead of DeMarcco Hellams. Also, Mike Hughes is listed as the starter at right cornerback opposite of A.J. Terrell.
Here’s the Falcons’ official starting lineup:
OFFENSE
QB – Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Taylor Heinicke, Nathan Rourke
RB – Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Avery Williams, Jase McClellan, Carlos Washington Jr. and Robert Burns (PUP)
WR – Drake London, Chris Blair, Austin Mack, James Washington
Slot WR – Ray-Ray McCloud, Khadarel Hodge, Dylan Drummond, Jesse Matthews
TE – Kyle Pitts, John FitzPatrick, Jordan Thomas
LT – Jake Matthews, Barry Wesley, Julien Davenport, Jarryd Jones-Smith
LG – Matthew Bergeron, Jovaughn Gwyn
C – Drew Dalman, Ryan Neuzil
RG – Chris Lindstrom, Kyle Hinton, John Leglue
RT – Kaleb McGary, Storm Norton, Andrew Stueber, Zack Bailey
TE – Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley, Austin Stogner
WR – Darnell Mooney, Rondale Moore, Casey Washington, Josh Ali, OJ Hiliare
DEFENSE 3-4 alignment (4-2-5 nickel)
DL – Zach Harrison, Ta’Quon Graham, Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London
DL – David Onyemata, Ruke Orhorhoro, Zion Logue, Prince Emil
DL – Grady Jarrett, Kentavius Street, Eddie Goldman, Tommy Togiai
LOLB – Arnold Ebiketie, Bralen Trice, Demone Harris, Kehinde Oginni (International)
LILB – Kaden Elliss, JD Bertrand, Milo Eifler
RILB – Troy Andersen, Nate Landman, Donavan Mutin
ROLB – Lorenzo Carter, James Smith-Williams, Bradlee Anae, DeAngelo Malone
CB – A.J. Terrell, Kevin King, Anthony Johnson, Natrone Brooks
Nickel CB – Dee Alford, Antonio Hamilton Sr., Jayden Price
FS – Jessie Bates III, Micah Abernathy, Dane Cruikshank, Tre Tarpley III
SS – Richie Grant, DeMarcco Hellams, Lukas Denis, Dane Cruikshank
CB – Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III, Harrison Hand, Trey Vaval
SPECIAL TEAMS
K – Younghoe Koo
P/H – Bradley Pinion
LS – Liam McCullough
PR – Ray-Ray McCloud, Mike Hughes
KOR – Avery Williams, Rondale Moore
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