FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons will have joint practices with the Tennessee Titans this fall, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Monday in a press conference.
Atlanta and Tennessee will practice twice at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch, Ga., at the Falcons' team headquarters. The practices will occur Aug. 12 and 13, preceding Atlanta's Week 2 preseason game against Tennessee at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"It should be really exciting and fun for us to watch," said Morris, who added he talked to Titans coach Brian Callahan on Monday morning.
The Falcons' joint practices with the Titans are the only ones Atlanta currently has set up, Morris said. The last time the Falcons hosted a joint practice was in 2022, when the Jacksonville Jaguars visited IBM Performance Field.
Atlanta held joint practices with the New York Jets in 2023 and, in Morris's first season as coach in 2024, traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins.
The Falcons open the preseason against at 7 p.m. Aug. 8 at home against the Detroit Lions and will conclude the exhibition slate against the Dallas Cowboys at 8 p.m. Aug. 22 on the road. Atlanta kicks off the regular season at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith said last summer that OTAs, minicamp and other pad-less sessions help the team evaluate movement skills for newcomers, but padded practices -- especially those against other teams -- offer a new, helpful perspective.
"The joint practices are so important," Smith said July 28, 2024. "They're tremendous for those evaluations."