Atlanta

Falcons

McCloud has easily outperformed Rondale Moore, who was acquired in an offseason trade involving QB Desmond Ridder. While Moore has made some plays with Michael Penix in the Falcons’ second-team offense during camp, it’s the veteran McCloud who has functioned as the first-team option through the spring and summer. “I have the ultimate confidence in him,” Atlanta wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard said of McCloud. “I think he’s going to be really good for our football team.” McCloud worked primarily as a kicker returner in San Francisco before signing with the Falcons this offseason. His best receiving season came in 2021 with the Steelers, when he had 39 receptions for 277 scoreless yards. McCloud could benefit from what is expected to be a pass-heavy Atlanta offense, though he would be the team’s fourth or fifth pass-catching option barring wideout injuries.

Going against the Falcons’ first-team defense, Penix has made precise short-area throws and downfield connections while commanding the huddle. “He’s come along fast with the operational elements he had to learn, getting guys in and out of the huddle, and he’s getting a better feel for progressing to the backside of some of the Falcons’ new passing concepts,” Breer said. Penix’s ability to hit pass catchers down the field has caught coaches’ attention, Breer added, adding Penix has “a handful of wow throws every week.” One of the most experienced incoming NFL rookies in modern history, Penix should be able to operate the Atlanta offense should Kirk Cousins miss any time this season.

Washington hasn’t played a regular-season snap since 2022. The former second-round pick was on a solid trajectory early in his career after going for 44-735-3 in his second year in the league. Unfortunately, he caught just 30 passes for 392 yards in his third season, and in 2022, while with the Cowboys, he suffered a foot fracture that limited him to just two games. Now, Washington joins a relatively thin wide receiver room in Atlanta. Drake London and Darnell Mooney are entrenched as the team’s top two options, but things get pretty dicey after that. Depending on how many receivers they keep, it’s possible Washington will stick as a WR5 or WR6.

This news comes just hours after Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said players returning from injury would see “modified reps.” Cousins was fully cleared to return from his torn Achilles earlier today, and while he did log a full session on Thursday, it’s possible days off will be worked in as part of his “modified reps.” One thing that remains unknown is Cousins’ usage in the preseason. Morris said earlier that he wasn’t sure whether or not Cousins would appear in the preseason, but Cousins is already on record saying he’s asked to play in the preseason and was denied. That could change as the team progresses through training camp, but the Falcons’ primary concern is making sure Cousins is healthy and ready for Week 1 when they take on the Steelers.

Things appeared to be trending in this direction after Cousins was spotted participating in various football activities throughout the offseason. Despite being cleared, Morris said the team plans to play him on “modified reps” rather than force him back into a normal practice setting. The Falcons are hoping Cousins can rebound to his old form post-injury and be the solution they’ve been searching for at quarterback since Matt Ryan left town after 2021. Cousins was on pace for a career year in 2023, throwing for 2331-18-5 in eight games. He has plenty of weapons to work with in Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson and is expected to raise the fantasy floors for London and Pitts this upcoming season.

Pitts logged positional top-six perimeter (26.4 percent) and slot (58.5 percent) rates, with a bottom-four in-line rate (14.9 percent) last year, per PFF, so the news comes as affirming rather than breaking. While his slot rate is already sky-high, increased opportunities against linebackers and safeties would be positive. Perhaps the biggest item of note in Ledbetter’s report, HC Zac Robinson expressed excitement over Pitts’ blocking potential. Improved run-blocking would allow the Falcons to keep Pitts on-field for the position’s high-value play-action snaps, keeping defenses guessing about his role pre-snap. Fantasy managers should monitor Pitts’ reported run-blocking development through training camp.

The Falcons’ offensive coordinator nearly parroted Bijan Robinson’s comments earlier this offseason about the Falcons’ plans to use him like the 49ers use Christian McCaffrey. Robinson is “going to play running back first and foremost,” but it sounds like there will also be plenty of attempts to get him more involved in the passing game. As a rookie, Robinson caught saw the third-most targets (86) and caught the sixth-most passes (59) of any running back last season. He finished as the RB16 in fantasy points per game but could trend closer to a high-end RB1 in an offense that’s expected to be much better with Kirk Cousins now at the helm. Any additional work in the passing game will only raise what is already a very high fantasy ceiling for Robinson entering this season.

Drake London reiterated Hilliard’s objectives, saying the “ball’s gonna be in the air” and “slow feet don’t eat.” The Falcons’ new OC Zac Robinson, formerly the Rams’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helped guide the Rams 2023 offense to NFL’s highest 11 personnel (three wide receivers) snap count (1,144) while utilizing a 60.4 percent passing rate in one-score games, 5.6 percent higher than the Falcons’ 54.8 percent rate. Waack noted slot receiver Rondale Moore and downfield specialist Darnell Mooney’s respective 4.29- and 4.38-second 40-yard dashes. The trio, side-kicked by Kyle Pitts (4.44 seconds at Florida’s pro day), possess the requisite speed to achieve Hilliard’s goal.

ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported McCloud, a journeyman entering his seventh NFL season, “performed well” in three-wideout sets during minicamp, connecting with Kirk Cousins for several big plays. Atlanta’s receiver room, as recently noted by Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty, is ominously thin entering the regular season. An injury to Darnell Mooney or Drake London could open up a starting role for McCloud — traditionally a kicker returner — in what will be a pass-first Falcons offense. He had 36 catches for 379 yards in two seasons with the 49ers before signing with the Falcons this spring.

Per Jordan Schultz, the deal includes a $13.46 million signing bonus. The Falcons shocked fans, and starting QB Kirk Cousins alike, by selecting Penix with the No. 8 overall pick. An NFL-ready passer, Penix’s 90.5 PFF passing grade, 7.3% big-time-throw rate and 10.7-yard average depth of target rank top-six among 35 Power Five quarterbacks with at least 370 dropbacks in 2023. Penix is equipped to run the offense, should complications arise during Cousins’ rehabilitation from an Achilles tendon rupture, suffered by his right plant-foot.