Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Monday, Aug. 5

So that was a fun week with football, wasn’t it? Even though Atlanta dropped the game to Denver, merely having football on television felt damn good. The countdown to the regular season kickoff is officially on, so start your Monday by catching up with the headlines from the Hall of Fame Game and a preview of Thursday’s matchup against the Dolphins.

Headlines from the Hall of Fame Game

The Falcons fell to the Broncos 14-10 in Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game; satiating our desire to watch actual football and simultaneously reminding us how frustrating a Falcons loss can be. It’s preseason, sure, but everybody likes a win.

Regardless of the outcome, we got our first look at Atlanta’s rookies, including an extremely encouraging performance from fourth rounder John Cominsky. He put on a veritable show in his first NFL action.

Ditto for rookie corners Kendall Sheffield and Jordan Miller, who both had great debuts, as well.

Injuries and a “new” quarterback

Three players left Thursday’s game with injuries: rookie returner/wide receiver Marcus Green, defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, and quarterback Kurt Benkert. Benkert’s injury seems the most concerning at the moment, as he had put together a very good game before a toe injury knocked him out. He was definitely looking like the better option to back up Matt Ryan.

The Falcons went out and immediately brought back Matt Simms, signaling that Benkert could miss some significant time.

Additions and subtractions in the secondary

There were a flurry of moves made to address the secondary after the Hall of Fame Game. The Falcons released UDFA cornerback Rashard Causey and added safety Ronald Martin, along with releasing safety Jason Thompson and adding cornerback Hamp Cheevers.

That’s a name worthy of the Hall of Fame Game.

Looking ahead to Thursday

The Falcons take on the Dolphins Thursday night, and based on their performances against the Broncos, there are a number of young guys that should get an even longer look.