OL Rotations, DL Depth Highlight Atlanta Falcons Training Camp: Day 4 Recap

Rain and walkthroughs encapsulated the fourth day of Atlanta Falcons training camp.

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett leads the Atlanta Falcons' defensive line. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons completed their fourth day of training camp practice, and perhaps nobody better summarized the session than defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.

After the starting defense finished a red zone play during a walkthrough period, Lake strolled to the huddle.

He donned a white bucket hat, black Nike shirt with the NFL emblem on his right sleeve and red Falcons logo on his left, a long white sleeve t-shirt, black shorts with a white Nike swoosh, low cut black socks and black shoes.

Atlanta finished its third training camp practice -- an open session for fans at Seckinger High School in Buford -- at around 7:35 p.m. Saturday and had a quick turnaround, starting practice No. 4 at 11:15 a.m. Sunday on IBM Performance Field.

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As a result, the session was light, but here's a rundown of all that occurred:

Norton, McGary Headline Offensive Line Rotation

The Falcons' continuity on the offensive line extends beyond their five starters, as each of their top three reserves -- tackle Storm Norton, guard Kyle Hinton and center/guard swing Ryan Neuzil -- are all back in the fold.

When Atlanta splits into two fields for walkthroughs and workouts, Norton, Hinton and Neuzil often watch the starting line work and then rotate in together in a variety of combinations.

On Sunday, such rotations continued, but at times, Norton solely replaced right tackle Kaleb McGary while the rest of the line remained steady.

At other points, Norton worked at left tackle in place of Jake Matthews while Hinton took snaps for left guard Matthew Bergeron and Neuzil handled center responsibilities for Drew Dalman.

The Falcons don't have much of a controversy here -- McGary is still expected to be the starting right tackle -- but Norton appears firmly entrenched as the swing tackle. And after a 2023 season in which McGary missed three games due to injury and was replaced admirably by Norton, Atlanta appears to be preparing for a variety of outcomes health-wise.

Among other takeaways on the offensive line, it's possible the Falcons carry just eight players -- Matthews, Bergeron, Dalman, right guard Chris Lindstrom, McGary, Norton, Hinton and Neuzil. They're the only eight who've worked with the first- and second-team units throughout OTAs, minicamp and training camp.

Defensive Depth Chart Remains Same -- With Similar Surprises

As they did the first three days, the Falcons started Mike Hughes at cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell and Richie Grant at safety next to Jessie Bates III. On the defensive line, James Smith-Williams worked with the first team at 4i (shading to the inside of the offensive tackle) and five-technique defensive end.

Thus, Atlanta's trio of second-year pros -- cornerback Clark Phillips III, safety DeMarcco Hellams and defensive end Zach Harrison -- were once again relegated mostly to second-team reps. Harrison occasionally worked with the starters and Hellams saw reps next to Grant, each of which marked continuations from the first three sessions.

Atlanta's second-team defensive line included Harrison, rookie Ruke Orhorhoro, veteran Eddie Goldman and outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie. The first-team group remains led by Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Smith-Williams, Lorenzo Carter and Ta'Quon Graham.

But the Falcons' third-team defensive line featured several interesting faces, including fourth-round rookie Brandon Dorlus, veteran Kentavius Street and third-year outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone.

Fifth-round rookie linebacker J.D. Bertrand also worked with the third team, but the Falcons only carry six linebackers, and they've split them into two fields throughout camp. Bertrand is cemented as Atlanta's No. 4 linebacker.

Extracurriculars

Receiver Darnell Mooney said after practice he thinks the Falcons will put on pads for the first time this summer Wednesday. Atlanta is off Monday and returns to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before getting Thursday off ahead of Friday night's open practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Mooney also added the Falcons have worked into deeper installation periods of late, and fellow receiver Ray-Ray McCloud noted that while there has been a lot of information to absorb, the staff has done a good job of making it easy to learn.

Atlanta finished the final 15 minutes of its practice indoors due to a rainstorm in Flowery Branch. It marked the first time the Falcons have used the indoor facility in training camp.

Before the session began, Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith declined to comment extensively on cornerback A.J. Terrell's contract. Terrell is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is set to be an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2025.

However, Smith said he expects Terrell to have the best year of his career this fall, continuing the trend of internal belief in the former All-Pro.