- 2 days ago
Falcons talk with Will McFadden as he joins Chris Thomas to discuss the impact of the loss of Jalon Walker on and off the field, how Atlanta can go about replacing his production, the cool demeanor of Tua Tagovailoa, what makes Bijan Robinson so impressive in the backfield, how Michael Penix Jr. has gotten better without contact, why the usage of Zacchariah Branch will be high in Year 1.
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00:00Welcome in our buddy Will McFadden, senior reporter for atlantafalcons.com.
00:05Will, there's so much to get into.
00:07Obviously, the devastating news of losing Jalen Walker for the season to a torn ACL.
00:15Not just about the production on the field, Will, but the man that he is, the player that he is,
00:20and the emerging leader that he is, is just more of a blow for the Falcons.
00:26It really is, and you hate to see it.
00:30Like, every year, Chris, right, we go into training camp, and the main thing is just come out of it
00:36healthy, right?
00:37And I think the leadership part of Jalen Walker is a huge piece of, I think, what made him attractive
00:45to Atlanta.
00:46Because they have been really intentional about bringing in character guys.
00:51Whereas, Kevin Stefanski wants a player-led culture.
00:55So to do that, you need the right players to be able to lead that culture.
00:58And Jalen Walker was one of those guys.
01:01I mean, you look back at his time at Georgia, everybody raves about him.
01:05Even as a rookie, you know, I was talking to Jake Matthews earlier today,
01:09and he was saying, you know, it's rare for a rookie to come in and kind of already establish himself
01:14in that way.
01:14And that's something that Jalen Walker was able to do.
01:18And this offseason, he was constantly around the facility.
01:22He was working out.
01:23He was part of the offseason program.
01:24He was establishing and rising.
01:27And when you think about what the 2026 season was going to mean for him,
01:32I really think his role was going to expand.
01:34I think this was going to be the year that they really started to get creative with how they used
01:38him.
01:38And it was going to be an important kind of stepping stone.
01:41Now, that doesn't mean that when he gets back on the field and kind of the only silver lining of
01:47all of this
01:48is that that seems to be, you know, next year at the beginning of training camp, which, so, yeah, sure,
01:54he can have his training camp next year.
01:57I think he'll be back very healthy, very ready to go.
02:01But I just wish that we would have seen Jalen Walker out there in 2026.
02:05And I know I'm not alone with that.
02:06I think you hit on the other important piece is that he was essentially going to play three different roles
02:11for this team in terms of hand in the dirt, go get the quarterback, lining up, standing up,
02:17go get the quarterback, and then lining up, standing up, go cover.
02:22And much like what Jeff Ulbrich said about losing a guy like Caden Ellis, you know,
02:27one guy is not going to be able to have that versatile skill set, whether that's somebody that's in-house
02:32or that's somebody that they bring in who's currently a free agent.
02:35But who are the guys that are in-house that you expect to see that are going to be asked
02:41to step up now?
02:43Well, I mean, in terms of trying to replace Caden Ellis, which you're right,
02:47Jeff Ulbrich said there's not one single person that could do it.
02:50But I have to believe Jalen Walker was maybe the closest that they had on this roster.
02:55Jeff Ulbrich's defense is all about multiplicity.
02:58And Jalen Walker is Mr. Multiple, right, as a defender.
03:02So that loss is going to be big.
03:04We did get our first chance to see kind of what they were trying in his absence out there today
03:09on the practice field.
03:10And it's about what you would have expected, right?
03:13Cameron Thomas got a little bit more run.
03:15I saw him in there kind of with the ones at times across from Samson Ibukam,
03:20who, you know, has kind of been running with the ones on the right side.
03:23We've seen Braylon Trice start to get mixed in there a little bit more.
03:27You know, saw just some guys a little further down the depth chart now start getting plugged up.
03:32One interesting thing, though, that I noted today was Harold Perkins Jr.
03:37and Kendall Daniels, the two rookies, both kind of working off of the edge a little bit.
03:42Now, perhaps they have been doing that some in training camp, and I just haven't noticed.
03:47It was the first time that I kind of noticed those guys doing that.
03:51And I asked John Timo, the outside linebackers coach after practice, you know,
03:56is that something you guys are looking at?
03:57Because they kind of came in in that inside linebacker role.
04:00But we know Harold Perkins' pass rush chops from LSU.
04:03We know Kendall Daniels' versatile background from Oklahoma State and Oklahoma,
04:07where it was not inconceivable to have them line up at inside linebacker, slot corner, edge,
04:14and then safety on four consecutive plays.
04:16So they are really trying a lot of things right now, I think, to figure out the right combination.
04:21That could be Brandon Dorliss, who is very versatile and can play kind of out on that big edge
04:26if you need him to.
04:28So it is still very early in the process of figuring out how you move on without Jalen Walker.
04:34But right now, they're giving a ton of guys, I think, opportunities to step up in that role.
04:39Okay, the obvious good news, now that we got through the bad news, is to celebrate Bajon Robinson,
04:45a guy that has been talk about all-world, all-class, on the field and off the field.
04:50Couldn't think of a better guy on the team to reset his own market.
04:55Absolutely.
04:55I mean, we just talked about Jalen Walker's leadership traits, right?
04:59But Bajon is so effervescent and magnetizing as an individual and a personality.
05:07He is somebody who just kind of leads by example, by just doing it right, by showing up every single
05:13day.
05:13The talent is obvious.
05:16In fact, I'm working on a story that will hopefully run a little bit later this week,
05:19talking to a lot of the former great running backs that I watched growing up as a kid,
05:24just to see what they see in Bajon.
05:27They're going to be way more equipped than I am to explain what makes him so awesome.
05:32And those conversations were so illuminating.
05:34But everybody to a T just came away being like, Bajon is in a class of his own.
05:40He is in his own lane.
05:41His ability to make people miss, the balance that he has, everybody,
05:46and Jake Matthews included noted this today after practice,
05:49his ability to make cuts while maintaining his speed is something that I think Julio Jones had.
05:56I think maybe Calvin Ridley had.
05:58But that's kind of the list of the guys that I have seen who are able to make cuts
06:03while maintaining and even accelerating sometimes.
06:07So it was a no-brainer, right?
06:09Bajon is one of the very, very best offensive weapons in the entire league.
06:14I'm excited to continue to watch him throughout his career.
06:17I hope he's one of those guys that just kind of wears one jersey.
06:21Time will tell on that.
06:22But he is the heartbeat and kind of the workhorse of this Falcons offense right now.
06:28We all know that all eyes are on the quarterback competition.
06:32And Tua appears to be, if not fully backed, very close.
06:36What have we seen from him developing over the last couple of days?
06:41Yep.
06:41He is coming along kind of exactly as you would want him to, right?
06:45And I know there was initially a little bit of kind of like concern, mostly maybe from
06:51just the unexpected nature of it when we started training camp last week and Tua wasn't out
06:56there because that was just, that was brand new.
06:58But at the time, I think Kevin Swansky did his best to try to convince all of us in the
07:05room, hey, not a major concern.
07:07He'll be back sooner than later.
07:08And he was, and he has been.
07:10And Monday, he got started in 11 on 11.
07:13Yesterday, the pads weren't on, but he was still out there and active and continuing
07:16to ramp up.
07:17And today was by far his most usage out in practice.
07:22He really was starting with all of the 11 on 11s.
07:26He got consistent work.
07:27He looked pretty good out there.
07:29You know, he's still, he is still ramping up and it is still early days for everybody
07:33in training camp.
07:34But his accuracy has really stood out.
07:36Uh, I, I do think he's gelling nicely so far with his teammates.
07:40He is a laid back Hawaii, cool guy, uh, who doesn't really make waves and, and is just
07:47looking to get along with everybody.
07:48So I think he's acclimating well.
07:50Um, he did have a couple of, of nice throws.
07:53He did get picked by Avion Terrell today.
07:55That, that was kind of a notable play.
07:57His first interception in practice in the NFL, but that wasn't even so much on Tua as it
08:02was excellent coverage from Sidney Brown on Jahan Dodson that allowed Avion to kind of
08:07undercut that.
08:08And then I thought Tua responded really, really well with a nice, uh, ball to Drake London
08:13on kind of like the very next play.
08:15And of course we saw him kind of hit a lot of the days of Kias late in the practice
08:18as
08:18well.
08:19So he's looked sharp.
08:20Uh, I do still think Michael Penix, maybe the deep ball that's, that's his realm, but
08:25Tua is, is really sharp on the screens, the short yardage, the intermediate stuff.
08:30And he can throw a nice deep ball as well.
08:32I don't mean to undersell him in that area.
08:33Uh, he's, he's looked good, Chris.
08:35Same question about Penix.
08:36I mean, from everything we hear and see in the clips that get posted online.
08:40And for those who've been to practice, it seems like, you know, for everything he's
08:44able to do, he's doing it really well.
08:48He is, you know, and I know there, there had been, uh, a couple of the practices, right?
08:53Where you look at, at the pure numbers and Daniel Flick, I was talking to him today about
08:58the, the passing app chart that, that he's got over there.
09:01And I, I think that's brilliant.
09:03I'm a little jealous, wish I had come up with that, but I know some people will compare kind
09:07of those numbers and be like, Whoa, what's, what's going on here.
09:10The biggest thing for Mike is, is he just looks healthy.
09:15I know he has not been cleared yet for 11 on 11, and that's a huge hurdle, but he kind
09:20of said it himself in, in his press conference today.
09:22He says, I feel good.
09:23I feel great.
09:24He is still focused on that final little hurdle.
09:28But even today, there was a moment where kind of the play broke down.
09:32It was a little bit of a scramble drill.
09:34And I didn't see Mike hesitate for a second.
09:37He, he stepped up in the pocket.
09:38He shifted out to his left.
09:40He kept his eyes downfield.
09:41He motioned to his receiver, keep going.
09:43And it was exactly what you would want to see because it's what you need to see on Sunday.
09:48And for him to do that with zero kind of hitch or zero hesitation, it looks smooth.
09:53He looked comfortable.
09:54So that to me right now is, is the main thing.
09:59You know, he, he is still entering his third year.
10:01There's a lot of aspects of quarterback play that you continue to sharpen throughout your
10:06career.
10:07But Mike has been around the facility all off season.
10:11He has worked his butt off.
10:12I think he seems like he's in a good place in an upbeat place ready for this competition.
10:18I think he's just chomping at the bit to get out there in 11 on 11 and show people what
10:22he can do.
10:23But he has also gotten a ton of work in training camp so far, Chris.
10:27And I think people may lose sight of that from time to time because the injury is in
10:32the background, but up until really maybe today, I think, I think Michael Penix has
10:38getting, has been getting more work maybe than, than Tua outside of just that one 11 on
10:4311 period and segment.
10:45So he's, he looks sharp, but he's just got to get, he's got to get fully cleared.
10:51Talking all things Falcons with our good buddy, Will McFadden, senior reporter for Atlanta
10:55Falcons.com.
10:58Yeah.
10:58You mentioned in terms of Penix and the reps that he's getting and Tua and the reps that
11:04he's getting.
11:04What about the reps that Zachariah Branch is getting?
11:06It seems like every day there's a new highlight of him doing the most.
11:11He, that's, that's a great way to put it.
11:13He's doing the most he's, he's, he's everywhere, man.
11:16And he, and actually today I would say was, was the first time in practice where, you know,
11:21he, he wasn't flawless is a strong word, but, but that there were actually some, some things
11:27to maybe correct.
11:28I'll say because he, he, uh, for fumble late in, in kind of the 11 on 11, Clark Phillips
11:34had a really good, uh, punch the ball out against Zachariah Branch.
11:38And the way that he reacted to that tells you everything you need to know about Zachariah
11:42Branch because he was harder on himself than anybody else.
11:46And, you know, a coach loves the opportunity to say, Hey, come here, Rook, you know, let
11:50me tell you the importance of ball security here in the NFL.
11:52Well, but Zachariah Branch doesn't need to hear that because he knows it and he takes
11:56it to heart.
11:57So his work ethic is the first thing that jumped out to me, but, but then let's talk about
12:02the fun stuff.
12:03Let's talk about his, his speed and his quickness.
12:05Cause I was, I was familiar with the speed part.
12:08I don't think I was aware of just how much of a human joystick Zachariah Branch is.
12:13And it's not these, it's not these TikTok routes.
12:16You know, it is legitimately a jab outside, put my foot in the ground, cut.
12:20And I have a yard of separation before the defender really can even react.
12:24So I, I expect his usage.
12:26Well, actually I, I'm, I'm not even going to make a prediction about his usage because
12:29I've seen him excel in kind of all the different ways that the Falcons could use him.
12:34So I know that we talked a lot about him coming out of the, out of Georgia as, well, they
12:40really just threw him screen behind the line of scrimmage.
12:42What else can he do?
12:43Chris, he can do a lot.
12:45I've, I've seen him out there.
12:46He's, he's running verticals.
12:48He's running out routes.
12:49He's running comebacks.
12:49He's running screens.
12:51Like he's doing it all.
12:52And I, he's a rookie, you know, there's still the rookie learning curve.
12:56Right.
12:56But I, I, I think the Falcons are going to be pretty pleased when all said and done with
13:01what they got number 17.
13:02We got to hear from Nick Folk the other day.
13:05I know we usually only talk about kickers when they screw up.
13:08It's kind of like offensive linemen, but I don't think it could be overstated how important
13:13it was for this off season to go get Zachariah Branch in the return game, Nick Folk
13:18and Jake Bailey.
13:20Yes.
13:20Yes, absolutely.
13:22Because Nick Folk is, is awesome.
13:26Like I, he, he spoke with us for a long time on, I believe it was Tuesday yesterday.
13:30Um, it may have been Monday, but you can, I, this could be taken, I guess, as a little
13:37bit of a slight, but I mean it in the best possible way.
13:39You can tell he's 41 years old.
13:41You know, he just, the way he stood up in front of all of us and that scrum and just
13:44kind of held court.
13:46It was like, you were having just a very casual conversation with, you know, a friend down
13:52the street and he seems unflappable.
13:55And I have to imagine given how long he has played, there's probably not a ton you can
14:00throw in Nick Folk.
14:01That's going to shake him at this point.
14:02I mean, look back to last year, our game against the Jets, right?
14:06Like he, he comes through and one of the ugliest weather games I think I've seen and nails
14:10a career long kick.
14:11So like there's, there's a lot left in Nick Folk's tank, I think.
14:15Um, and the accuracy part is huge because how many times last season did we see these one
14:22score games where Atlanta was in position to win and special teams ultimately kind of crept
14:27up and bit them in the butt there.
14:29So I, I think that the overhaul with, with special teams was very intentional.
14:34Um, I think that Craig Aukerman, the special teams coordinator, it brings a lot of energy.
14:39You can feel his presence out there on the field.
14:41Uh, and he has a history with Nick Folk and Jake Bailey, uh, Nick and Jake have a history
14:46with each other.
14:47So there is familiarity here, even though some of the key pieces are new.
14:53Uh, and then you mentioned Zachariah Branch.
14:54I, I'm really, really curious to see how big of a role on special teams he plays.
14:59I hope that he's, I hope he's out there as, as the starting guy.
15:02Uh, but you never know.
15:04Sometimes when players start to be so valuable on offense, you know, you, you, you want to
15:10save him for that.
15:10So I still think he's the leader in the clubhouse.
15:12I will get much more clarity on that in the preseason games, I believe.
15:16Uh, but the special teams, I, I have higher hopes for them in, in 2026.
15:22Before I let you go, uh, we know how much has been made of the cliche that, oh, Kevin
15:26Stefanski loves himself some tight ends.
15:28So let me ask you, what have you seen from the tight end so far?
15:33As somebody who played tight end in high school, uh, I love that he loves tight ends because
15:37tight ends, uh, deserve to be loved.
15:39This group is pretty impressive so far, really.
15:43It's, and I know Charlie Warner is not, you know, like a, a receiving tight end by, uh,
15:48any historical measure, but he's been really active, uh, as a receiver so far in training
15:53camp, Jack Velling, uh, who's, who's further down the depth chart is also kind of flashing
15:58in, in this offense, which is utilizing the tight end a lot in some of these kind of flat
16:04routes, uh, short out over the middle, the areas that a tight end will usually reside
16:10the, the Browns last season.
16:13And, and this is notable to me because Tommy Reese took over the play calling kind of, I
16:18think, midway for the Browns last year.
16:20So you have a direct example of Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Reese, who's the offense coordinator
16:26here.
16:26The Browns ran the most 12 personnel of any team in the league last season.
16:31And I want to say there were two or three in 13 personnel as well.
16:35So the Kevin Stefanski loves tight ends.
16:38Uh, it's, it's not really a joke.
16:40Um, but I also think that is where the league is, is going, you know, we obviously saw what
16:45the Rams did last year.
16:46The Falcons are set up really well to play a variety of different styles.
16:50Uh, and I think the addition of Austin Hooper here really does round out that tight end room
16:55in a very good way.
16:56And I'm, I'm excited to see that group in particular come the regular season.
17:01Cause I, I don't think they're going to show too, too much in the preseason, but I, I wonder
17:06if they'll have a little, a few wrinkles, uh, that involve the tight ends come, come the
17:11regular season.
17:12Will really appreciate it.
17:13Great stuff.
17:13Well, as always, we'll check you out at Atlanta Falcons.com.
17:16We'll chat soon.
17:17Of course.
17:18Anytime, Chris.
17:19Thank you for having me on.
17:20You got it.
17:21That is Will McFadden.
17:22They're a good buddy from Atlanta Falcons.com.
17:25When we get back, we'll take more of your calls.
17:27404-726-0929.
17:29You just heard from Will.
17:31Falcons fans, should the team go after an edge rusher to try to help replace what they
17:35lost in Jalen Walker, or should they take a look at what they have internally first?
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