Fights, Injuries & QBs: Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins Joint Practice Recap Day 2

From fights and injuries to the performance of quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., a rundown on the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins' second joint practice.

The Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins finished the second of two joint training camp practices Wednesday. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla -- On the first play of Wednesday's joint practice at Baptist Health Training Complex, Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell lowered his shoulder and embraced contact with Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert, the popping of pads echoing throughout the stands.

By this point, there had already been one fight. In the moments after, two more ensued.

The Falcons and Dolphins partook in a physical, energized session that lasted two hours. It was the second of two joint practices, with the first coming Tuesday.

From fights to injuries and quarterback play to defensive looks, here's a deep dive on the Falcons and Dolphins' joint practice recap ...

Fights, Fights and More Fights

The first scrum of the day came during special teams, when a Dolphins gunner ran into a Falcons returner -- believed to be either receiver Rondale Moore or cornerback Mike Hughes -- in a non-contact portion of practice.

The encounter did not escalate beyond control, as around 20 players piled in and the scene ended after 15-to-20 seconds, but it nevertheless set the tone for a chippy practice.

Terrell's hit on Mostert preceded a brief defensive shoving match, with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and safety Jessie Bates III among the Falcons' representatives after Atlanta stopped a rushing attempt from Miami.

All of this happened on the field nearest the stands, where fans and reporters alike sat beneath an awning and out of the warm Miami weather. But on the far field, the Falcons' offense and Dolphins' defense took small scuffles to another level.

In the span of six minutes, there were two full-blown fights and another minor dust-up.

The first arose after running back Tyler Allgeier had a physical run around the right corner into Miami's sideline. Upon exiting the playing surface, extracurricular activities ensued, and benches emptied.

A minor skirmish happened a few moments later, when Moore caught a pass on the Dolphins' sideline and was forcefully pushed out of bounds. Taking exception to the shove, Moore stood up and threw the football at the Dolphins defender before exchanging words.

Then, the biggest of the day.

Falcons quarterback Cousins hit receiver Ray-Ray McCloud over the middle for a gain of around 15 yards. The Dolphins' defense tackled McCloud, who stood up and threw a punch at the nearest defender.

McCloud's swing created a massive pile of the entirety of both the Falcons' offense and Dolphins' defense. Afterwards, the two sides met in the middle of the field and huddled for several minutes as tensions cooled and reminders were given.

No fights occurred over the final half-hour of the session.

The Detroit Lions and New York Giants were fined for fighting at their joint practice this week. The Falcons and Dolphins may find their wallets a little lighter when all is said and done as well.

News: The NFL confirmed that the Lions and Giants organizations have each been fined $200,000 for multiple fights that broke out at the joint practices between the clubs this week.  All NFL clubs were reminded in a memo sent last month that fighting and unprofessional conduct at…

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 7, 2024

Injury Bug Bites Falcons

For the first time this training camp, the Falcons began practice without a player due to a newly-acquired injury: Ryan Neuzil, the team's backup center and a safe bet to make the roster, suffered a calf strain Tuesday and did not take the field Wednesday.

But near the end of the session, Atlanta took its first major injury hit of the summer.

On the backside of a play with the second-team offense, Moore suffered a non-contact injury to his right lower body. He was placed on a stretcher and carted off the field with a towel over his head and air cast on his knee. The Falcons held a prayer circle afterward, and the teams agreed to cancel the final 30 minutes of practice.

Moore is still being evaluated and the extent of his injury is to be determined, according to the latest update from the team.

Earlier in the session, Moore caught a pass from Cousins, one of the first times he's worked with the starting offense in camp. He was listed as a second-string player on the team's initial depth chart.

Falcons Starting Offense: Cousins Efficient, Allgeier Sees Big Workload

The Falcons and Dolphins didn't do one-on-ones to begin practice as they did Tuesday; instead, the they started with redzone drills.

Cousins hit both of his passes, including a tight-window pass to receiver Drake London over the middle that pushed Atlanta to the fringe of the goal line. Allgeier had a few would-be touchdown runs during the period, helping the Falcons' offense find paydirt.

Routine 11-on-11 periods followed for the remainder of the session.

Overall, Cousins went 12-of-15, though Atlanta's starting offense didn't find the endzone in 11-on-11s. The team had two lengthy drives, one of which ended after a fumbled snap (slightly low and left but hit off Cousins's hands) and the other fell a yard short of the endzone after receiver Drake London caught a pass on an out route just shy of the goal line.

London had two receptions on three targets; the lone incompletion came on a pass over the middle, when he caught the ball but had it dislodged by a Dolphins defensive back. Cousins joked after the session it would have cemented London's spot as the strongest-handed receiver he'd ever thrown to.

Tight end Kyle Pitts caught three passes, two of which went for gains of around 15 yards. He hauled in a pass over the middle that Cousins layered over the linebackers, and made a difficult grab on the left sideline before falling to the ground.

Among others, receiver Darnell Mooney caught one pass and drew a pass interference penalty on a deep shot, while Allgeier and fellow running back Bijan Robinson had one and two receptions, respectively.

Miami's pass rush pressured Cousins into a would-be sack once, but as the whistle blew, Cousins completed a pass to Moore for a first down down the right sideline.

In the running game, Robinson had five carries to Allgeier's six. During redzone drills, Allgeier had three touches -- including a physical score in which he lowered his shoulder into Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey -- versus Robinson's two.

The effectiveness of Atlanta's ground game faded as the session wore on, but Allgeier had several quality gains in the redzone and seemed to be an important part of the team's plans in that part of the field.

Penix Headlines Second-Team Offense, McClellan Takes Heavier Snap Count

After going 8-of-16 in Tuesday's practice, first-round pick and Falcons backup quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 7-of-13 on Wednesday. He started slow, connecting just once on his first four targets, and was 1-of-3 in the the redzone.

But after a Dolphins penalty moved the chains in 11-on-11s, Penix hit four straight throws, starting with a dart to rookie receiver Casey Washington on the right sideline for a first down. A screen pass and four-yard stop route to receiver KhaDarel Hodge followed, and then Penix connected with receiver Chris Blair on his right side to convert on 3rd and 4.

Over his final-five throws, Penix overshot Moore on a left-side deep pattern, hit Washington on a screen, missed Blair on a play-action roll out to the left with pressure bearing down, found tight end Jordan Thomas in the right flat for a short gain and missed a shot to receiver Josh Ali in the right corner of the endzone.

Blair led all pass catchers with four targets but caught only one -- two were rather uncatchable. Washington was close behind with three targets, catching two of them.

Like Cousins to Mooney, Penix and receiver Austin Mack drew a defensive pass interference on a deep ball down the right sideline.

Playing another team hasn't changed Penix, who remains as fearless and willing to challenge tight windows as ever.

As for the second-team rushing attack, sixth-round rookie Jase McClellan saw a bulk of the workload over Carlos Washington Jr., who saw extensive action Tuesday and worked with the first-team offense Monday when Robinson was out.

McClellan took five carries during the session while Washington saw just three. The second unit's efficiency running the ball wasn't much better than the first, as both runners were stonewalled often. The session marked Atlanta's first this summer without Neuzil as the second-team center, and his absence was missed.

Falcons Starting Defense Has Strong Day

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit several chunk throws Tuesday, including a 50-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tyreek Hill, but Atlanta's defense responded well Wednesday.

The Falcons created consistent pressure on Tagovailoa -- third-year outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie had three pressures within the first two periods of practice. On one pressure, Ebiketie and third-round rookie outside linebacker Bralen Trice converged on Tagovailoa, forcing an early blown whistle to mark the play dead.

Miami nearly had another lengthy touchdown, as receiver River Cracraft beat Terrell by several steps down the right sideline but Tagovailoa overthrew the pass.

Atlanta's second-team defense, which at times included the third-team linebackers and secondary, allowed a handful of scores early, including a miscommunication on a roll-out where Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson hit receiver Je'Quan Burton for an uncontested touchdown.

But the reserve secondary finished well, as second-year pro Anthony Johnson and a pair of undrafted rookies in Jayden Price and Trey Vaval earned pass breakups on back-to-back-to-back plays.

The Dolphins were shorthanded, as receiver Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed injury) and tackle Terron Armstead (maintenance) didn't practice and Hill saw a smaller workload. Still, the Falcons' starting defense had the upper hand throughout Wednesday's session, and with how it finished Tuesday, the unit's arrow is pointing up.

Extracurriculars

When the Falcons released their depth chart, Avery Williams, who led the NFL with 16.2 yards per punt return in 2022 before missing last year with a torn ACL, wasn't listed on the two-deep at punt returner. However, he was first-up in drills Wednesday.

Also on special teams, third-year pro DeAngelo Malone worked at the end of the line of scrimmage with the first unit. Malone is a fourth-string outside linebacker on the depth chart and will have to fight for a roster spot, with special teams perhaps being his best path to playing time.

Atlanta's offense continues to be motion-heavy, and Ali took a reverse handoff while coming across the formation Wednesday. The versatile ways in which Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson can involve his playmakers has been an impressive part of camp.

What's Next?

Atlanta and Miami finished joint practices Wednesday and will get off Thursday before beginning the preseason at 7 p.m. Friday in Hard Rock Stadium.