Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. introduced to fans under Saturday night lights

Time with the D-line: When it comes to what we can see when we’re at the Falcons’ facility in Flowery Branch, individual defensive line drills are not something we often have the luxury of seeing because their drills occur two fields over from where the media are located. However, thanks to the nature of the singular practice field at Seckinger High School, we were able to get a much closer look at the defensive line action. And what was most notable when we were finally up close and personal was the variety in size amongst the defensive tackles. Grady Jarrett looks different from Zach Harrison who looks different from Ruke Orhorhoro who looks different from Eddie Goldman and David Onyemata and so on and so forth.

Working in tandem with a partner, the group worked through their lock-out moves, using different arm placement techniques to get their partner off balance. It was the first look I have felt like I’ve gotten at what the group looks like after all the offseason work. And when they’re all together? Those different body types intrigue.

QBs have their favorites: Kirk Cousins found Kyle Pitts time and time again in front of fans. They connected on a number of different routes that resulted in four catches through a few 11-on-11 periods. One in particular saw Cousins throw a dime to Pitts as he tiptoed the sideline, the pass perfectly placed between Nate Landman in coverage and the sideline. As for Michael Penix Jr., his go-to on the day was Rondale Moore, with the two connecting for a notable touchdown when the team moved to red zone work.

A note on Kaden Elliss’ usage: For so long I feel like I’ve waited to see some alignments with Elliss up alongside the defensive line, in a pass-rush role. I was satisfied to see that a couple times in Saturday’s practice. Using the inside linebacker in a pass rush role was something Elliss saw success in his final year with New Orleans. As Will McFadden and I discussed as we walked off the field Saturday night, that probably was the Falcons’ original plan for Elliss when he got to Atlanta last year. However, a season-ending injury to Andersen put a pause on those specific plans and packages. Well, maybe Saturday was a small inclination of that type of future usage for Elliss.

Breaking down the (rough) numbers: As Amna Subhan already noted at the top of this article, there were a lot of 11-on-11 periods that saw the second-team…