Michael Penix Jr. has resumed throwing in time to take part in the Falcons’ early OTA practices. Full participation is the next checkpoint in his case, but that may not be reached until the summer.
Penix has been cleared for individual drills along with seven-on-seven work for the spring. He has not yet participated in 11-on-11 practices so far, however. It remains to seen if the third-year quarterback will be fully available during minicamp next month as Atlanta continues to proceed with caution. If not, Penix will aim to avoid any setbacks in time for a complete workload during training camp.
“But that time is coming,” Stefanski said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) when speaking about Penix being cleared for team drills. “His main focus is getting healthy, and he’s doing that. As a staff and definitely for Mike, we kind of have the blinders on and are really just looking at what’s in front of us.”
Penix’s 2025 campaign ended with the latest ACL tear of his career. The former No. 8 pick has been limited to 12 starts so far, and it is uncertain if he will open the coming season atop the depth chart. Shortly after his Dolphins release, Tua Tagovailoa signed a one-year Falcons deal. A true competition between the two southpaws is set to take place this summer. Stefanski confirmed an even distribution of reps will be forthcoming during training camp.
“I think it’s our job — I think [offensive coordinator] Tommy Rees does an outstanding job of making sure that we’re intentional about how we want this to operate,” Stefanski said during his recent press conference. “One guy will be up first one period and then switch with the next period and rotate every single day and really almost every drill because the truth is we’re trying to get the best version of all of our players, so we want to mix and match guys in different spots.”
Penix’s showing in a number of categories was incrementally better in 2025 than it was during his rookie season. Nevertheless, further improvements will be sought out with the 26-year-old aiming to establish himself as Atlanta’s long-term answer under center. Penix’s performances working with Stefanski and a new coaching staff will be worth watching closely as the summer unfolds. At a minimum, he appears to be on course for a clean bill of health in time for padded practices during training camp.
You know exactly what you’re getting out of Tua, so if I were a Falcons fan, I’d hope Penix wins the job. I think a big obstacle for Penix is he has way less experience but is only 2 years younger, so it’s hard to justify rolling with him if he doesn’t truly win the job outright.
Good luck with Stefanski as your HC….not great at getting much from his QB’s outside of Flacco in 2023
I might need some help/clarity with this:
1. Sign Cousins 4 year/$180m deal.
2. 6 weeks later draft Penix w/o telling Cousins & knowing Penix has bad knees.
3. Take a cap hit to release Cousins.
4. Sign Tua.
5. And after all that, Atalanta still doesn’t know who their QB is? Golly wonder why, who’s running the team Goofy the Disney dog?