FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Drake London settled into the middle of the field and hauled in a touch pass right at his chest. He turned, tossed the ball back to an equipment staffer and smiled.
The Atlanta Falcons will have a quarterback competition heading into the regular season. Michael Penix Jr. is coming off surgery to repair his left ACL. The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa after his release from the Miami Dolphins in March.
Neither of those two were the ones throwing to London and other receivers during drills Wednesday at the Falcons' voluntary offseason team activities (OTAs). The passer was a Falcons quarterback, though.
With the emphasis on was.
Matt Ryan, the Falcons' new president of football, was out at practice Wednesday, talking to new coach Kevin Stefanski and lending a hand -- or, in this case, an arm -- when needed. According to several players, this was not an isolated incident. Ryan has been at every practice, Tagovailoa said, and has even popped his head into the quarterback room a few times this spring.
Arguably the greatest player in franchise history, Ryan was hired in January to oversee the hiring of a new coach and general manager. The latter role was filled by former Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham. Owner Arthur Blank said Stefanski and Cunningham will report directly to Ryan, though Blank and Ryan himself said the coach and GM would have the final say over decisions in their respective areas.
So, what exactly would Ryan's duties be once things got rolling? Few could have expected that he'd be as hands-on as he has been.
"Matt's been out here every day," said Tagovailoa, who has been clear that Ryan's presence was a major factor in him signing with Atlanta. "There's not a day where I haven't seen Matt out here. Whether he's chopping it up with the quarterbacks, taking some throws with us or kind of working around, just chatting with the guys. It's not every day where you get a former player and former player of that caliber out at organizational practices, let alone the organization that he's done so well for."
Ryan left the Falcons in a trade to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 after 14 seasons as the team's franchise quarterback. He won MVP in the 2016 season when he led Atlanta to the Super Bowl. Ryan owns every Falcons passing record and went to the Pro Bowl four times. He officially retired from the NFL as a Falcon ceremonially in 2024 when he signed a one-day contract.
Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. got to play with Ryan during Pitts' record-setting rookie season in 2021, which Ryan was obviously a big part of. Pitts said he kept in touch with Ryan after he left Atlanta, and he loves having him back now in an executive role.
"I feel like he's wrapping me tighter under his wing from a different perspective as a front office guy now, but he just has a different role," Pitts said. "I mean, he's still leading the team in some sort of way, but just not physical."
But he has gotten physical, too. Falcons wide receiver Jahan Dotson said Ryan is the "first one up" when an extra arm is needed in drills.
"I honestly had no idea [he'd be doing that]," said Dotson, a free agent signing this offseason from the Philadelphia Eagles. "It is honestly pretty cool. You get the legend of Atlanta to be out here and participating, throwing, catching passes from him, individual drills. So, it's always fun. He's a great guy. Real cool guy to pick his brain and just be around and learn the game from."
The Falcons posted a video on social media last week of Ryan talking to the team's rookies about life in the NFL, and life playing in Atlanta. That has been another benefit of having Ryan in the building, Stefanski said.
"Obviously, he helps me every day, helps our players," Stefanski said. "I think it's such a unique history, both in the city and this building. He sat in those chairs where those guys sat. So, I think that's really special when he can get in front of them and give them his perspective of things because it's not many people that can do that, like Matt [has] been at the pinnacle of this profession and now is in a role where he's helping guide this franchise. So, I think it's just anytime you can get him in front of your players, including your young players, your rookies, I think it's beneficial."
Ryan has seemingly had his fingerprints on a lot of things since moving into this newly established role. However, he is not part of the quarterback competition. He'll leave that between Penix and Tagovailoa.
That doesn't mean the arm talent is gone, though.
"He can still spin it," Pitts said, "like he can still play."