ATLANTA – In an ongoing effort to clean up Atlanta’s streets, city leaders are now considering plans to purchase blighted properties from owners who’ve failed to upkeep them over the years.

Last week, council members approved a “blight tax” that would penalize those property owners. The other idea that came up was using city funds to take the abandoned properties off their hands completely.

“There are a lot of options on the table for the city when it comes to property development,” Atlanta City Member of council Michael Bond said.

Bond says first responders being called to emergencies at abandoned properties is a common and costly occurrence.

“Responding to vagrants on the property, responding to fires, responding to illegal dumping…that’s a real cost to the city of Atlanta,” he explained.

That’s why he and other members of the city council are considering buying those properties back from neglectful owners.

“What has been discussed is that the city of Atlanta will make an offer to these property owners just to do a general transaction…if someone is not able or willing to maintain their property to keep it in a productive use, the City of Atlanta would try to acquire that property,” Bond said.

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Bond says it could save the city millions of dollars in the long term and give lower income residents more options for housing that’s within their means.

“Depending on the shape of the property and how much it might cost to rehab…that might be a site we could use for the development of more affordable housing throughout our city,” he stated.

One potential plan is to place the properties in the possession of urban housing authorities or go through the bidding process to select private developers.

Bond says the city cannot use eminent domain to take the old housing properties and redevelop them into new housing because of Georgia state code. City leaders will continue discussions about this at their next meeting.

When the Atlanta Falcons started practice Monday at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch, Ga., they did so with one defensive starter fully participating — and one in a restricted role.

Third-year inside linebacker Nate Landman had “limitations” in Monday’s session, according to Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who met with reporters after practice. Landman, a 14-game starter last season, has dealt with a quad injury for the past two weeks.

In 2023, his first year of extended playing time, Landman logged 110 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a pair of sacks across 16 games. He’s expected to rotate with fellow third-year pro Troy Andersen next to Kaden Elliss at inside linebacker this fall.

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Joining Landman as a bystander Monday was practice squad tight end John FitzPatrick, who suffered an undisclosed injury this preseason and is still dealing with the lingering effects entering Week 1.

“Other than that, we’re doing pretty good,” Morris said.

That sentiment includes safety Justin Simmons, who had his most active practice since signing with the Falcons on Aug. 15. Simmons, a four-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection, had been a free agent since March and faced a hastened ramp-up period upon arrival.

Around one week ago, Morris estimated Simmons was doing 50 to 75 percent of Atlanta’s practice activities. On Monday, Simmons left no drill undone.

“Simmons did everything full today that was asked of him,” Morris said. “Had a full-go status. He did everything today.”

The Falcons will enter Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers close to full health. They lost receiver Rondale Moore and rookie outside linebacker Bralen Trice to season-ending knee injuries during joint practices and the preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, respectively.

Safety DeMarcco Hellams also went down in Miami, sustaining an ankle injury that will cause him to miss “significant time,” according to Morris. Hellams is, however, expected to be back this season.

But apart from the “unfortunate days” against the Dolphins, as Morris phrased it, the Falcons’ roster and performance staff have done well this summer.

“I feel great about that,” Morris said. “I feel like we threw a really well-done performance, training camp, in how we wanted to get it done — the amount of reps we were able to get, the amount of stress we were able to cause, the stress and rest all equaling out.

“Really fired up where we are from an injury standpoint.”

Atlanta hosts Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Before suffering a season-ending torn MCL in 2022, Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham was in the midst of a breakout second campaign.

Graham, a fifth-round pick out of Texas in 2021, had become a consistent pressure player on Atlanta’s defensive line, and his steady growth allowed minds to ponder the heights of his ceiling.

Across 11 games and nine starts, Graham had eight quarterback hits to his name. His one tackle for loss and no sacks did little to represent the problems he’d caused for opposing offensive lines.

Graham’s step forward in 2022 created optimism for 2023 — but the Killeen, Texas, native was hindered by the injury that cost him the final six games of the year prior. It took until the midpoint of last season for Graham to feel back up to strength.

As such, the 25-year-old Graham trudged through a difficult campaign. He saw action in 15 games and made a pair of starts but registered only one sack — the first of his career — and one tackle for loss with just two quarterback hits. He was a healthy scratch twice due to inadequate practice habits, Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray alluded to last October.

Now, Graham is at a crossroads. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract and playing under new head coach Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers.

Uncertain exists — but Graham knows this: He felt great physically during training camp and will enter the season fully confident in his 6-foot-4, 307-pound frame holding strong.

“Camp is the roughest part on our bodies and I think I’ve been handling it pretty well in how I feel and how I attack every day,” Graham said. “So, I think I’m in a pretty good spot personally with my health.”

With the fitness box checked, Graham is working toward proving he’s still the same disruptive piece he was becoming two years ago. This summer, Graham has played extensively with the first-team defense, serving as one of many rotational pieces on a deep defensive line.

Given a chance to prove himself with the starters, Graham feels he performed at a level much closer to the standard he once set.

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“I think I’ve been having a pretty good training camp,” Graham said. “There’s always room for improvement, always things I want to fix. Hindsight can be 20/20 at times, and I’m just working on improving, but I feel like I’ve been having a solid camp.”

Graham said he hasn’t focused much on the order of the rotations; there have been lots of different groups, so he has little idea where, exactly, he stands inside the room. He added he likely won’t know until this week’s practices in the lead-up to Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Falcons’ defensive line is led by Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata. Graham appears likely to factor into the next group, which includes Eddie Goldman, Kentavius Street, Zach Harrison and rookies Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus.

Even with heightened competition, Graham said he thinks it’s a positive the Falcons expensed a second-round pick on Orhorhoro and fourth-round choice on Dorlus.

“The more depth in the room, the better,” Graham said. “Personally for me, I’m just focused on myself and how I can contribute to the team and how I can improve my performance.”

Lake, similarly, likes the defensive line room being crowded. He also likes the way Graham has produced from the Falcons’ interior this summer.

“He’s one of those big bodies up front,” Lake said. “He’s tough, he’s physical. He’s also made his share of plays in practice. He knows the defense. Still room for improvement leverage-wise, some pass rush, but he’s right where he needs to be and just continuing to improve.

“I feel like TQ is just gaining confidence by the day.”

Graham emphasized strength and conditioning this summer and feels he made progress in both. On the field, he’s trying to first stop the run before converting his attack into a pass-rushing rep when needed.

The former University of Texas standout said he’s enjoyed learning from Rodgers this summer and believes the decade-long NFL defensive line coach has been a “pretty solid addition” to the room.

Relationships and cohesiveness have been established. According to Morris, so has Graham’s return to form.

“I’ve seen a violent, big human that’s absolutely learning how to practice versus his teammates,” Morris said. “And some of the stuff you like, some of the stuff you got to say, ‘whoa’, but he is strong. He’s got great length. He’s throwing his hands. He’s being physical. He’s doing things the right way.

“I’ve really been impressed.”

Now, Graham gets another chance to turn promise into production — with his first opportunity coming against the Steelers at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.