The Falcons have a dual-lefty starting quarterback competition to look forward to this offseason, and it could be getting started sooner rather than later. After suffering a partially torn ACL mid-November last year and undergoing season-ending surgery two days later, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was spotted throwing passes to wide receiver Drake London at the team’s facility yesterday, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
In the immediate aftermath of his injury last year, there was early speculation that Penix could miss the start of the upcoming season, but in an update after the season, Penix announced his expectations to be medically cleared by April. Now well into May, he’s a bit behind his own prediction, but he appears to be close to a return. Per Raimondi, a team spokesperson informed the media that Penix would be participating in Phase 2 of Atlanta’s offseason program, which can include group drills and instruction but not full practices in the traditional sense.
The Falcons have still not officially put forth a timeline for Penix’s return, but the 2024 first-round pick has been saying that he’ll be ready for Week 1. As good as that sounds, Penix will need to be back soon, in order to hold off new arrival Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job in 2026. Tagovailoa comes off a six-year tenure in Miami where he started 76 of 78 game appearances. He led the NFL in passing with 4,624 yards in 2023 and completed a league-best 72.9 percent of his pass attempts in 2024.
Penix took over the starting job in Atlanta over the final few weeks of his rookie season and opened his 2025 campaign as QB1. He made nine starts in Year 2 before landing on injured reserve. With 12 starts in 14 game appearances, Penix has completed just under 60 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He averaged about 220 passing yards per game last year before going down with the knee injury. Penix appears to be well on his way back to returning to the field, and he may be in a rush to do so now that his starting spot is up for grabs.