5 injured Falcons return for the first day of training camp

The returns of Kyle Pitts, Kaleb McGary, and Bralen Trice, among others, are welcome for a team set to count on all three players.

While the Atlanta Falcons look to be a stronger team than they were in 2024, they can ill afford significant injuries that challenge their depth, especially this early in the year. That’s why all eyes were going to be on players dealing with injuries earlier in the offseason program, including starters like Kyle Pitts and Kaleb McGary.

While we just got the news that Troy Andersen hit the PUP list, there’s good news to balance that unfortunate update out. On Thursday, the Falcons welcomed back Pitts, McGary, Morgan Fox, DeMarcco Hellams, and Bralen Trice, all of whom had either been recovering from major injuries or were dealing with ailments during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

Pitts and McGary are the two most vital pieces here, even though all five players figure to play important roles. Pitts is counting on a career year to help him earn a lucrative long-term deal from the Falcons or another team as he enters his fifth year option season, and will be a key weapon for Michael Penix alongside Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Bijan Robinson. McGary, meanwhile, is the starting right tackle and Penix’s blind side protector, a role he’s hoping to prove he can hold down well into his mid-30s. The team’s depth at tight end is shaky—Feleipe Franks is the favorite to be TE3 at the moment—and Storm Norton is Atlanta’s only proven reserve option behind McGary at tackle.

Trice, who is practicing on what Raheem Morris termed a “modified” basis, was an excellent run defender in college who could carve out an early down role in a crowded outside linebacker group. Fox figures to get plenty of passing down work on the defensive line as an eager and capable pass rusher, something the team desperately needs, and Hellams is a virtual lock to be the team’s third or fourth safety and a relied-upon special teamer. It’s a big relief to know these guys are back out there.

The only other note is that reporters and fans noted that they had not seen promising undrafted free agent cornerback Cobee Bryant out on the practice field; we’ll offer updates if we hear anything with Kevin Knight and Adnan Ikic on-site. Falcons beat reporter Terrin Waack noted a handful of other players she had not seen when practice opened, as well.