The night before Atlanta’s preseason opener, the Falcons were gathering at a hotel when their newest teammate, Cyrus Gray, arrived and introduced himself.
It was not an ideal time to join a new franchise. All of Gray’s competition at running back had been immersed in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme throughout the offseason; less than a week of training camp remained. Getting up to speed, and building a strong case for the 53-man roster, would require some fast learning.
Gray made sure to absorb information as quickly as possible. He dedicated himself to the playbook, and he spent a lot of one-on-one time with running backs coach Bobby Turner.