Defense Dominates, Bijan Out, Big Winners from Day 4 of Falcons Training Camp

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - The Atlanta Falcons entered day four of 2026 training camp and welcomed a sold-out contingent of fans to spectate from the hill on an unseasonably cool August 1st in Georgia.

Fans were treated to both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa participating, if not fully, in position drills, while the Bijan Robinson watch has reached its fourth day.

Robinson has been staging a "hold-in" and not participating in practice, though he is in attendance, as he waits for a new contract from the team.

Tagovailoa has been in a ramp-up period after suffering from back tightness and threw to wide receivers but did not participate in 7v7s or 11v11s. The continued absence of Penix and Tagovailoa has given undrafted free agent rookie Jack Strand and newly signed Cooper Rush extended looks.

We take a look at some of the key plays and news from the day:

The Biggest Battle

Other than quarterback, who starts on defense at nickel might be the most tightly contested position on the team. Veteran Darnay Holmes got the first run out on Saturday morning as A.J. Woods, Sydney Brown, and Avieon Terrell all rotated in with the starting unit.

There was more mixing and matching on the depth chart on the defensive line, and linebackers each took reps with what would widely be considered the first team. Rookie linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. both took snaps with the No. 1s, including safeties Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts.

The first group of defensive linemen out early included Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London, and Maason Smith. Da'Shawn Hand was also with the first group at times as well.

Dorlus and Hand both flashed with key plays. Dorlus had a strip sack coming off the left side of the defense, and Hand crashed down the line of scrimmage to blow up a running play, rapping up the back for no gain.

Key Plays

It was definitely a day for the defense, including the plays by Dorlus and Hand. Linebacker Malik Verdon made a nice pass breakup on a rollout pass from Strand. Verdon came to the NFL as a safety last year, and at 6'4 may have outgrown the position. He's on the bubble right now of making the 53-man roster, and his versatility may play in his favor.

The Falcons worked special teams more than in the past few days. Zachariah Branch was the first man back on punt returns. He was joined by Olamide Zaccheaus and Dylan Drummond. New punter Jake Bailey was excellent at placing the ball inside the 10.

Cornerback Cobee Bryant is fighting for a spot on the 53, and he helped his cause with an excellent play on punt coverage. Coming from the right gunner position, he beat his man downfield and fielded the punt on the fly at the one-yard line.

Wide receiver Chris Blair continues to make noise for the fifth wide receiver spot. He had a nice catch on a drag route on the throw from Cooper Rush. It was one of the few positive passing plays from the offense.

Penix got some time in 7v7 with defensive linemen standing in to clog pass lanes, but not rush. Timing was a bit off on a few of the throws, with him hitting Drake London on the goal line, but it got into his chest and bounced away.

A.J. Terrell also broke up a short pass intended for tight end Austin Hooper. Hooper had good position and is considerably bigger, but Terrell fought through the box-out and broke up the pass. Linebacker Kendal Daniels made a similar play. At 6'5, he offers length in coverage on the inside that is unique to the position.

Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari had a sack in 11v11s coming off the right side of the defense. He collapsed the pocket and got what would have been a sack.

Jahan Dotson made a couple of catches on shallow drag routes underneath the coverage. One was for a touchdown on a goal-to-go situation. It may be an indication of one way they plan on getting him easy catches and taking advantage of his quickness and speed after the catch.

The Surprise of Camp

Edge rusher Bralen Trice continues to make headway on being active for the first time in Week 1. The third-year player has been on injured reserve each of the last two seasons. He's got size that the other edge rushers in the room don't have...

Except...

Cam Thomas was signed as a free agent. At 270 pounds, he's a hybrid defensive end/edge rusher. At one point, the Falcons showed off what would be a jumbo package with Trice and Thomas on each edge. At 270+ each, the Falcons have options to run personnel packages that should be successful in running downs, something they struggled with last year.

What's Next?

The Falcons are off on Sunday and will be back on the field on Monday afternoon. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed the pads will be on when the Falcons are back, turning up the heat in Flowery Branch.

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