Ray-Ray McCloud as WR3? Mike Hughes opposite A.J. Terrell? Position battles mount as second week of training camp begins

As Will McFadden noted in his off-day recap Monday, like Hughes, Richie Grant hasn’t relinquished many first-team reps in the team’s first week of practices. However, unlike Hughes with Terrell, Grant and Jessie Bates III do not take every single rep together. DeMarcco Hellams is getting in there from time to time. It’s Grant, though, that looks to have the advantage early.

Raheem Morris was asked specifically about Grant Saturday night. He said Grant’s versatility in usage is what the Falcons most value in the fourth-year safety.

“Richie, his ability to move around and potentially go up there in the front and play a little bit of linebacker at that dime position and do some of those type of things, they’re exciting,” Morris said. “You’re talking about an exciting player who brings a bunch of energy. As Jerry Gray would describe him, you hear him before you see him. And he’s exciting to be around.

“I’m excited to see how far he can grow and what he can do throughout camp and throughout the rest of this deal.”

We have yet to see Kaden Elliss, Nate Landman and Troy Andersen all out on the field at the same time so far, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t in the works. Even Landman said Sunday he hopes the Falcons can find a way to put them all on the field together.

For the time being, though, they’re sticking to a two-man rotation. And a rotation it truly is. More times than not, though, it’s Elliss and Landman getting the very first reps in 11-on-11 work. However, it doesn’t take long for Andersen to rotate in. As for who’s calling the defense when there is such a heavy rotation, Landman said that responsibility rotates, too.

“We’ve got a good rotation going,” Landman said. “When Kaden is in there with Troy, Kaden is calling the defense. When I am in there with either of them, then I am calling the defense as the Mike. It pretty much just who’s set up as Mike and whatever defense we’re running.”

How this works and why it works this way will be something to further report on as Week 2 gets underway.

Between Will and myself, we have made it no secret that our biggest surprise of camp and possible the sleeper of the first week is James Smith-Williams. More times than not, it’s Smith-Williams working with the first-team defensive line. The free agent signing brings experience and size, and if the…