Atlanta Falcons training camp is underway, and it’s already weird. Two of the team’s three quarterbacks are standing around watching. Their star running back is wearing a jersey but no helmet or cleats. This is not ideal.
Tua Tagovailoa was out on the practice field Thursday morning. So was Michael Penix Jr. And Bijan Robinson. But none of them were actually practicing. Tagovailoa is dealing with a short-term injury that kept him out of team drills. He watched from the sideline with Robinson and Penix, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Penix is still waiting for clearance from Atlanta’s medical staff before he can join practice, according to The Athletic’s Josh Kendall.
So for now, the Falcons are running team drills with backups Jack Strand and Cooper Rush handling the reps. Not exactly the look a team with playoff hopes wants to start camp with.
Bijan Robinson’s hold-in is about money
Robinson showed up in uniform but made it clear he’s not participating. No helmet. No cleats. He’s technically at camp, which is the definition of a hold-in. His agents are working on a contract extension with Atlanta, and Robinson is not interested in taking any unnecessary risk until that deal is done.
The timing matters. Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is also looking for a new deal. Both guys are due massive extensions, and whoever signs first could set the market. Or sign too cheap, depending on how you look at it. Either way, there’s incentive for both to wait and see what the other gets. That leaves Atlanta and Detroit in awkward positions.
Robinson is the Falcons’ most popular player and arguably their most important offensive weapon. Every day he stays on the sideline, the pressure on Atlanta’s front office to get something done ratchets up. It’s not crisis mode yet. Camp just started. But it’s something to watch.
The quarterback situation is a separate mess
Tagovailoa’s injury is supposedly short-term, but short-term in July can mean anything from two days to two weeks. Penix hasn’t been cleared yet. The result is that Atlanta’s quarterback room is essentially two guys in street clothes and a couple of backups running the offense. Not great for building chemistry or installing a game plan.
Falcons fans probably shouldn’t panic. Camp is long. The season doesn’t start for weeks. But it’s hard to look at the current situation and feel great about the team’s preparation. When everyone is finally healthy and Robinson is signed, this offense could be dangerous. Right now though it’s just a bunch of guys watching practice.
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