The “contingency plan”: For the first time all preseason, Avery Williams took some 11-on-11 reps at cornerback. Williams has been with the running backs since mandatory minicamp. He’s spoken a number of times this preseason about making the switch. On Wednesday, though, he went back to the defense for a period. He still ran running back reps, even catching a couple passes out of the backfield from Desmond Ridder. But when he ran to the defensive field for a redzone period with the defense, it was quite the surprise as he hasn’t taken a single defensive rep since last season. Asked about the in-practice switch, Smith said it’s a contingency plan in case numbers in the secondary take a turn as the roster shrinks.
Clean pocket, tipped balls: Marcus Mariota stepped back into the pocket in one of the final periods of practice. He had time in the pocket. It was clean as he went through his progressions. He then found an open receiver, tossed the ball in their direction… and it was promptly batted down by Trevon Walker. This wasn’t the only time this happened to Mariota or Ridder, either. The Jaguars have a long and tall defensive front, and they use it to their advantage. I’m actually going to go ahead and say they’re going to get their hands on a lot of balls this season. It’s something Smith said he specifically wanted Mariota and Ridder to go up against.
“We felt like we were solid in the pocket, but their counterpunch is their length,” Smith said. “That’s what I wanted to see out there… It’ll make us better.”
Separation at receiver: For the last few weeks, we’ve wondered 1) how many receivers the Falcons will carry on the 53-man, and 2) who they’ll be. As we wrote yesterday, competition should be at an all-time high at this position group as final cuts draw near. The Falcons have already announced the cuts of Geronimo Allison and Auden Tate. We’re coming down to the wire to fill in the final open spots in the room, and Smith said when it comes to seeing…
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