The Falcons may have dodged any major injury crises this training camp. But they haven’t exactly come out unscathed. WR Darnell Mooney was nursing a shoulder injury that kept him off the field for several days. Rookies haven’t had the smoothest ride either. First-round pick Jalon Walker found himself on the injury list early on. So did Xavier Watts. The young linebacker missed most of the first week of camp due to a minor hamstring injury. This is not exactly how you want to start your pro career. And before things get any better for Atlanta, their HC, Raheem Morris, received a warning regarding his rookie.

On August 5, the Falcons confirmed Walker’s return to action. Speaking during the presser, Walker was quite confident and thrilled. The Linebacker expressed his wish to join the team. “I feel good. I’m feeling so happy to be back out here. Happy for the week. It’s a big week for this first preseason game, and excited to get things going.” However, as he gets back to the grind, the team and head coach received a serious update from host Aaron Freeman.

On Locked On Falcons, Freeman highlighted one issue that was limiting the player’s effectiveness. “I don’t think Walker did a good job of that at Georgia, where he would try to use a bull rush, and he wouldn’t use that leg drive to finish those reps. So, he would get that initial knockback power, but then offensive tackles were able to anchor. And, you know, him not finishing on this particular rep, again, we’re judging one rep is not a big deal to me because it’s practice, right?” he explained.

“Because if he finishes a rep in practice like he’s supposed to in a game, he’s driving that offensive tackle into the lap of the quarterback, which is a no-no. That puts the quarterback at injury risk and all that stuff,” he added. Morris will continue to get such updates as the preseason approaches. We’ll have to wait and see how the coach handles it.

As of now, the Falcons want Walker to zero in on playing edge rusher, but they’re keeping his versatility of being a linebacker and edge rusher in mind. The HC and staff ensure to protect the Linebacker by ensuring one role, such as avoiding any further injuries. Coach Morris had earlier said that Walker will get a chance to play linebacker soon once he feels more comfortable and gets used to moving around on the field. Once he takes up a freer role, much like Kaden Elliss, Walker will perhaps have more chances.

Walker is excited and impatient to join the team, but he’s trying to trust the process and listen to them. He knows that they have his best interests in mind. While the Falcons are sorting out injury returns and positional plans, the mood at camp briefly shifted from serious to hilarious thanks to a viral moment involving head coach Raheem Morris.

Raheem Morris got the taste of Drake London’s dominance

Injuries aside, the mood has been high at the training camps. One of the stars who recently took the spotlight is Drake London. He reminded everyone at Falcons camp why he’s one of the most physical receivers in the league by flat-out flooring head coach Morris during a 1-on-1 drill.

It was meant to be lighthearted, but London didn’t hold back at the line of scrimmage. Morris tried pressing him, and the wideout shoved him straight to the turf. The team burst out laughing. This moment quickly went viral. It was around the same time that Walker and Xavier Watts returned to practice.

Morris laughed off the mishap, quickly getting back on his feet with a grin as his assistant coaches laughed along. The head coach may have taken it gracefully, but with his background as a former safety at Hofstra and years of coaching experience, he handled it like a pro. After rising through the ranks in Tampa Bay and a brief college stint, he became the Bucs’ head coach in 2009.

Though he was let go in 2011, the Falcons gave him a second shot last season. The main battle will be whether he can lift the team this time.