Josh Kendall

Columbia

South Carolina Beat Writer at The Athletic

Atlanta Falcons beat writer for @TheAthletic. There'll be some golf and maybe even a little college football at times, too. Email: [email protected]

Featured in: Favicon

theathletic.com Favicon

yahoo.com

startribune.com Favicon

mercurynews.com Favicon

baltimoresun.com Favicon

miamiherald.com Favicon

orlandosentinel.com Favicon

charlotteobserver.com Favicon

kansascity.com Favicon

kentucky.com + 70 more

Articles

AI is coming to the NFL, and it could transform the game

4 days ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick released “2001: A Space Odyssey” and creeped out an entire country with the idea of a future controlled by artificial intelligence. In the summer of 2025, Zac Robinson is facing the idea of watching football and discussing strategy with a computer, and he’s a little creeped out, too.
AI is coming to the NFL, and it could transform the game

4 days ago | flipboard.com | Josh Kendall

NBA Draft 2025: Picking Boston Celtics selections, everything to knowWhile the 2025 NBA Finals just ended with the Thunder beating the Pacers, it’s already time to move onto the offseason. Life moves fast in the league …
Seven takeaways as Atlanta Falcons head into summer, starting at quarterback

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - After two days of mandatory minicamp practices, the Atlanta Falcons have a final day of spring meetings on Thursday before breaking for the summer. The team won't reconvene until late July when training camp begins. The Falcons were on the field Tuesday and Wednesday, but head coach Raheem Morris referred to those workouts as "big-time walk-throughs," and the only 11-on-11 drills came at the end of each practice featuring the team's rookies and developmental players.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. has stepped up; now he's working on speaking up

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - The only measuring stick Darnell Mooney can think of to illustrate Michael Penix Jr.'s progress in becoming a more vocal leader is that this year Penix will sometimes tell Mooney his music stinks. Mooney, the Falcons' sixth-year wide receiver, likes a wide range of genres. Penix, the team's second-year quarterback, is hip-hop only.
'The brutal, honest truth' about the Falcons' international kicking competition

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Younghoe Koo knew his job was up for grabs before the Atlanta Falcons signed Lenny Krieg in March. He knew his job was up for grabs before he had the worst season of his career in 2024. He has known his job was up for grabs since the moment he got it with the Falcons in 2019. "You're always competing," Koo said.
Can they stop the run? Why so many prime-time games?

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

It's time for a mailbag, and for once, we're not starting with questions about the quarterback. Don't worry, we'll get there, but we're going to start with run defense and how new Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has changed his approach dramatically in the last decade. Have you been able to extrapolate anything from Ulbrich's history and the personnel acquisitions to get any idea of what the Falcons' defense will look like? Will it all be built on speed and quickness?
How will 'fire and ice' rookies Xavier Watts, Billy Bowman Jr. fit in Falcons' secondary?

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - The first day Atlanta Falcons rookie defensive backs Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. got on the practice field, assistant head coach for defense Jerry Gray was already workshopping nicknames. "I'm probably going to nickname them 'fire and ice,'" said Gray, who oversees Atlanta's secondary. "When you talk to them, you'll see."Bowman, a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma, is the fire. He isn't shy about what he thinks he can accomplish in his first NFL season.
Submit your questions for Josh Kendall's Falcons mailbag

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall
Trip to Berlin to face Colts on tap in Week 10

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

The NFL will release the full 2025 schedules for all 32 teams at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Here is what we know about the Atlanta Falcons' schedule so far. The Falcons will play in the league's first regular-season game in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 9 when they face the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 10 matchup at Olympic Stadium. The game will be televised by NFL Network at 9:30 a.m. ET. The rest of Atlanta's opponents are known, but the dates for those games won't be announced until tonight.
Can Jalon Walker be the Falcons' Micah Parsons? He's going to try

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Josh Kendall

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Raheem Morris is understandably hesitant to hear any comparisons between Atlanta Falcons rookie edge rusher Jalon Walker and Dallas Cowboys two-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. "To compare him to that type of greatness, put that type of pressure on this young man would be unfair," the head coach said. Walker, though, is "not at all" worried about carrying that burden. "You know, my standards are high for myself," he said.