FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Wide receiver Darnell Mooney participated in practice on Wednesday.
However the Atlanta Falcons still do not know if the projected starter will be available for Sunday's season opener against Tampa Bay.
Mooney suffered a shoulder injury in the team's first official practice of training camp and did not play in any of the three preseason games.
Mooney was on the field for the portion of Wednesday's practice that was open to reporters, but there was no hitting in the drills. He was designated as having limited participation.
Coach Raheem Morris said Mooney’s status remains “day to day” but added the team’s leading deep threat for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. “is still looking good” after being exposed to only limited portions of practice earlier in the week.
It's possible the final decision on Mooney's status will not come before pregame warmups.
When asked what he needs to see from Mooney before knowing the receiver can play this week, Morris said “Really, that is a tricky question because that is one of those things where it’s just a medical deal. It’s like if he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. If he’s not, he won’t be. ... We’ve got a chance to wait until up until that last minute.”
Added Morris: "Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see one of our better players out there.”
Penix said Wednesday that Mooney's participation in practice was a positive because he needed “any opportunity I can to have throws with him.”
Even so, Penix said he and Mooney “had a good offseason” with extra practice which will help make up for the abbreviated training camp.
“I don’t feel like it’ll be a setback or anything,” Penix said.
Mooney had 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, his first season with Atlanta. He is expected to join Drake London and Ray-Ray McCloud as Atlanta's top receivers in Penix's first full season as the starter.
Rookie Jalon Walker, the Falcons' first of two edge rushers drafted in the first round this year, is expected to play after being limited by hamstring and groin injuries. Morris said Walker and James Pearce Jr., the other first-round pick, “have been out there practicing all full go, no limitations, ready to go. We’ll have those guys rolling out there a bunch.”
Walker and Pearce are two of four rookies expected to either start or play prominent roles on defense in the opening game. Nickel back Billy Bowman Jr. and safety Xavier Watts are the other possible rookie starters on defense.
Safety DeMarcco Hellams (hamstring) and offensive tackle Jack Nelson (calf) were held out of Wednesday's practice. Cornerback Clark Phillips (rib) was limited.
Mooney's injury was the most significant of the Falcons' preseason before right tackle Kaleb McGary suffered a season-ending left leg injury on Aug. 20. Veteran Elijah Wilkinson is expected to start at right tackle against the Buccaneers.
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. works out prior to a preseason NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
FILE - Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (1) runs the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A powerful winter storm swept across California on Wednesday, with heavy rain and gusty winds leading to evacuation warnings for mudslides in parts of Southern California, bringing near white-out snow conditions in the mountains and hazardous travel for millions of holiday drivers.
Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned about flash flooding. Areas scorched by January’s wildfires were under evacuation warnings, and Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday they were going door to door at about 380 especially vulnerable homes, ordering residents to evacuate because of the risk of landslides and debris flows.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also issued an evacuation warning Wednesday morning for the community of Wrightwood, a mountain resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, due to potential mud and debris flows from the storm.
Debris and mud flow was seen rushing down the road leading into Wrightwood in a social media video posted by county fire officials. Crews were working to evacuate some homes, the post said. County officials didn't immediately return questions about the evacuation.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood warnings Wednesday, local officials said. Parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties were also watching for potential flooding. Other parts of Southern California were under wind and flood advisories. Further north, much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area were under a flood watch and high wind warning.
Early Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man trapped in a drainage tunnel in northwest LA that led down to a river.
Firefighters were able to get a ladder down through an opening, allowing the man to climb out, the fire department said. No injuries were reported, but the man is being evaluated.
In Monterey along the central coast, more than 5,000 people lost power Tuesday night due to a damaged power pole, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
San Francisco and Los Angeles airports reported some minor flight delays Wednesday morning.
Conditions could worsen as multiple atmospheric rivers move across the state during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm in Los Angeles was expected to strengthen into Wednesday afternoon before tapering off later in the evening.
James Dangerfield, an 84-year-old Altadena resident, said his family and neighbor helped place sandbags in his backyard earlier this week. His neighborhood was under a flash flood warning as of Wednesday morning, but he wasn't too worried.
The street he lives on is on a hill, so most rain water flows away from them, he said. For now, he and his wife, Stephanie, planned on staying in the house and spending Christmas Eve with their two adult daughters and grandchildren.
“We’re just going to stay put and everybody will have to come to us. We’re not going to go anywhere," he said.
Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters), National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said. It could be even more in the mountains. Gusts could reach 60 to 80 mph (97 to 128 kph) in parts of the central coast.
Forecasters also warned that heavy snow and gusts were expected to create “near white-out conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and make it “nearly impossible” to travel through the mountain passes. As of Wednesday morning, there was also a “considerable” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center, a nonprofit partnering with the U.S. Forest Service.
The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning would be in effect for the Greater Tahoe Region until Friday morning.
Atmospheric rivers transport moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes in long, narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean and flow through the sky.
Officials have taken steps to reduce the risk in and around the burn scars, with Los Angeles County installing K-rails, a type of barrier to help catch sliding debris from burned areas, as well as offering free sandbags to residents.
The storm has already caused damage in Northern California, where flash flooding led to water rescues and at least one death, authorities said.
The state has deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard remains on standby.
Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
A tourist from China battles the rain on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
People look toward traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge from the Golden Gate Overlook in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A pedestrian carries an umbrella while walking on a path at Alamo Square Park, in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
