Team news: Atlanta Falcons | Page 5

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is officially a member of the Buccaneers.

Bridgewater visited with the team on Tuesday and took a physical that went well enough for the Bucs to announce his signing. Punter Jake Julien was waived to make space for Bridgewater on the roster.

Related players: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, Michael Pratt

Pratt is currently injured, according to the story, so Bridgewater will likely challenge Trask for the QB2 job behind Mayfield. The story mentions Bridgewater has a history with offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. Both of them were with the Dolphins during the 2022 season, so Bridgewater may have an edge.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield won’t practice today after suffering a contusion on his throwing hand Thursday, per source.

Mayfield underwent scans as a precaution and ruled out a more significant injury. He’s day to day.

Related Players: Kyle Trask

We don't want to see Mayfield miss anytime, but it's great news that it's not more significant. We don't expect this to linger into the regular season at this point, so we should continue to consider him a top-10 option at the position.

Raheem Morris won't commit to having Darnell Mooney in the lineup Week 1 against Tampa.

"We’re going with a few weeks right now," Morris said.

Related Players: Drake London, Ray-Ray McCloud, KhaDarel Hodge, D.J. Chark

The initial news of this shoulder injury came on the heels of the team signing D.J. Chark to a one-year deal, which could cause further concern for Mooney, at least in the early parts of the year. Mooney is coming off a low-end WR3 season in which he popped for a few big games from time to time, so if he's sidelined, we would expect the target share to be spread pretty thin behind Drake London.

This also points to a potential larger role for Kyle Pitts.

Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III is present for practice and in full pads.

Related Players: D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Tyler Scott, Devin Duvernay

Burden's got some time here to rev up to full speed, which makes this wide receiver room incredibly interesting. The rookie has been absent due to a hamstring issue, and now has the opportunity to push the veteran Zaccheaus for a role in 3WR sets. Burden is deep down our current WR rankings, but could begin the slow climb the more he gets integrated into the offense.

NFL league source tells me Falcons WR Darnell Mooney has a shoulder injury and will [miss] most of training camp.

Related Players: Drake London, Ray-Ray McCloud, Khadarel Hodge, DJ Chark

This news comes fresh on the heels of the team signing DJ Chark to a one-year deal, which could be a cause for concern for Mooney, at least in the early parts of the year. Mooney is coming off a low-end WR3 season in which he popped for a few big games from time to time, so if he's sidelined, we would expect the target share to be spread pretty thin behind Drake London.

Does this open the door for Kyle Pitts?

Running back Bijan Robinson enters his third season coming off a career-high workload. Robinson went from 272 touches (214 carries, 58 catches) as a rookie to 365 touches (304 carries, 61 catches) last season, and it sounds like that trend will continue.

“As many times as we can get the ball in his hands, we’re going to do it,” Penix said.

Related players: Tyler Allgeier

It seems like a great idea and fantasy owners are hoping for the same, but the author thinks the Falcons should be cognizant of Robinson’s workload. The story pointed out the following: there have been 15 occasions of a running back getting more than 300 carries in a season in the last five years. Six of those came last season. Of the other nine, only once did the back have more rushing yards the next season. That was Derrick Henry in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In the other eight seasons, the backs had an average drop off of 695 rushing yards the next season. Those are eye-opening numbers, but good news is the Falcons don't have to force the ball to Robinson with Allgeier part of the offense. Last season Allegier carried another 137 times for 644 yards, which is a 4.7 YPC.

While there has been speculation about his future in Atlanta, Falcons TE Kyle Pitts hasn’t been practicing at OTAs due to a strained muscle in his foot.

Related Players: Charlie Woerner, Teagan Quitoriano, Feleipe Franks

If Pitts does end up leaving Atlanta this summer, it's worth pointing out that the TE depth chart behind him is incredibly thin, which would likely mean an even higher WR target share in 2025. Teams potentially vying for a trade include the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Chargers, among others.

The first practice of Falcons OTAs is now underway and Kirk Cousins is not on the field. Cousins has made clear he wants to play elsewhere in 2025.

Related Players: Michael Penix Jr., Easton Stick

We've been anticipating a potential trade (Steelers?) for a few months now, but it's been pretty quiet on that front since the NFL Draft. If Cousins finds a Week 1 starting role somewhere, he will return to low-end QB2 range for SuperFlex leagues.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was downgraded to doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Browns with a hip injury.

Tagovailoa is going to push to play but it’s looking like it will be Tyler Huntley going for the Dolphins in a must-win game. There is a chance, however, that Miami could be eliminated before even taking the field Sunday if both the Chargers and Broncos win on Saturday. Still, it’s yet another setback for Tagovailoa after his concussion earlier this season. Miami also elevated Skylar Thompson from the practice squad.

“I’m playing.” — A.J. Brown

Said the knee injury won’t affect him.

Related Players: DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson

Doesn't get much more definitive than that. Consider Brown a WR1 in this divisional matchup.