South Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- After an evening at Seckinger High School in front of thousands of fans, the Falcons rounded out their first week of camp back at their home facility Sunday. The first four-day block of camp ended as it began, with the Falcons working through 11-on-11 scripted plays until practice concluded.

A strong rainstorm passed through Flowery Branch midway through practice, prompting players, coaches, and trainers to move to the indoor facility. Practice resumed with the team continuing their 11-on-11 work in a drier environment.

### Notes and Observations

**The Sleeper of Camp:** James Smith-Williams is emerging as a notable player during this training camp. The "plus-size outside linebacker" acquired in free agency has taken most of the first-team reps coming off the edge. Alongside Lorenzo Carter, Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, and Ta'Quon Graham, Smith-Williams appears to have a significant role in the defense.

Smith-Williams described his free agency period as "stressful." However, a dinner with Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake convinced him to join Atlanta. "They showed me the vision," Smith-Williams said. "The energy that (Morris) has is infectious. He's an awesome coach to be around. It was a no-brainer."

**Depth in the Trenches Building:** Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford emphasized building depth around the group despite returning all starting linemen from last season. Storm Norton and Ryan Neuzil were seen taking reps with the potential starting offensive line. This does not indicate a position battle but highlights Ledford's focus on ensuring depth so that injuries do not significantly impact performance.

**Who Has the Green Dot?:** The question of who calls the defense remains fluid among linebackers Kaden Elliss and Landman. Landman explained: "We've got a good rotation going... It pretty much just who's set up as Mike and whatever defense we're running."

**A Note from the Front Office:** Assistant General Manager Kyle Smith addressed re-tooling the wide receiver room around Drake London and how new kickoff rules might influence player selection.

### Quotes of the Day

Ray-Ray McCloud and Darnell Mooney spoke highly of quarterback Kirk Cousins' leadership:

Mooney stated: "Kirk is Kirk... Kirk is the guy... He's making everything happen."

McCloud added: "For however many years I've been playing... this is probably the most on the plate, but it feels easy."

Mooney concurred: "I give the coaching staff all the credit... We're right back where we left off."

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