Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Quentin Johnston

Tuesday, July 29, 2:50 PM

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris "kept things a bit open-ended" about the availability of wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) for the start of the regular season, according to Tori McElhaney of Fox 5 Sports. Mooney exited the team's practice on Friday with a shoulder injury he suffered while attempting a diving catch and is expected to be re-evaluated in a few weeks. It's worrying news for the 27-year-old, who was highly productive in his first season with the Falcons in 2024. Mooney played 16 games last season, recording 64 receptions for 992 yards and four touchdowns. Atlanta is thin at wide receiver behind Mooney and Drake London, with Ray-Ray McCloud III, KhaDarel Hodge, and newly-signed DJ Chark the top candidates to get more playing time in Mooney's absence. Tight end Kyle Pitts could also be a beneficiary, as he lost targets last season due to Mooney's emergence.

Thursday, July 24, 5:17 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston had five touchdown catches in the first five days of training camp, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper, and his ball-tracking looked vastly improved on throws down the field over his shoulder. However, Johnston took a step back on Wednesday and dropped a pass that hit him in the chest when he was wide open in the middle of the field. Popper writes that the fact that these type of lapses are still happening for the former first-rounder in his third season is concerning. The confidence that the 23-year-old showed early in camp appears to have dissipated somewhat. Mike Williams retired just before the start of camp, but Ladd McConkey will remain a target hog in L.A, and the Bolts also drafted Tre Harris and Keandre Lambert-Smith. Johnston must prove it to earn substantial playing time in 2025.