The Falcons began mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and head coach Arthur Smith spoke to the media following practice. As you would expect, Julio Jones’ departure was the main topic at the opening of the press conference.
Smith was asked by Jeff Schultz of The Athletic about how productive he feels the offense can be with Jones no longer on the roster.
“My job is to coach and get prepared to play and we’ll do whatever we have to do to win that game,” said Smith. “So, that’s how I kinda look at it. I don’t worry about players I never coached.”
While Smith’s statements seem bold, it’s what you want to hear from a new head coach. Plus, it shows confidence in the players currently on the roster. The Falcons have known for some time now that Jones would likely be playing elsewhere in 2021.
Smith later would say that the departure of Jones doesn’t make rookie tight end Kyle Pitts isn’t a shoe-in to be the versatile, outside receiver. But rather, this spot will be open to competition throughout the offseason and into the season. “Like all these spots, I don’t put too much thought into spring,” Smith continued.
“Whether this is year one, or the old OTAs in the past. I think I’ve gone on record earlier and you can get alot of false narrative by evaluating just spring. It’s just a part of the process and learning phase. Really, till we play real football, preseason or real practices, I can give you a better evaluation, especially the [offensive line].”
You can expect Falcons training camp to be very competitive this year with so many positions up for grabs. Outside of a few big-name players, predicting 22 starters will be a rather difficult task until preseason begins.
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