Let the season finally begin for the Atlanta Falcons. They have a quarterback.
Or so it seems.
Michael Penix Jr., coming off the torn ACL that ended last season, will make his return on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. To say this is a much-anticipated development for the Falcons doesn’t even begin to explain the significance for a team running on fumes when it comes to in-the-moment alternatives.
Never mind a QB competition, a QB controversy or a QB quandary.
Penix is pretty much the Great Lefty Hope that can save the season.
Drake London, exhale. Bijan Robinson, rejoice. Kyle Pitts, prepare to launch.
At least that’s what is now offered on paper, which is much more enticing than what the Falcons got in the flesh from No. 3 quarterback Cooper Rush
or could have wished for from Tua Tagovailoa or No. 4 Jack Strand.
Hey, it can’t get much worse for a unit ranked dead-last in the NFL for passing offense – worse than Pittsburgh – with its 123.5 yards per game. Through two games, the Falcons have had 25 drives and produced one touchdown with seven turnovers. And the next time Atlanta advances a drive to the red zone, it will be the first time it’s happened this season.
Kevin Stefanski, the first-year Falcons coach, will surely take the short week as it means there are three fewer days for something bad to happen (see Tua, oblique injury) before Penix trots out with the first team.
Of course, there are no guarantees, but presumably Penix is packing the arm that can throw the football down the field for some legitimate shots. And the mere threat of that will help Robinson work his multi-tasking magic and allow Pitts (one catch, 15 yards) to unlock all the visions attached to an elite tight end.
In other words, the system is supposed to work now.
Penix was medically cleared to fully practice more than three weeks ago, but the holdup in getting back into the lineup hinged on the quarterback’s comfort level with the strength of his knee. That may seem strange in a league where players too often throw caution to the wind in rushing back from major injuries. Yet Penix has the perspective of having had two previous torn ACLs, dating back to his college career. He knows what it’s like to take one for the team and come back too soon, only to later regret it.
So, he gets the benefit of the doubt for knowing how his body feels.
Yet while he’s finally off the rehab clock, the clock ticks for Penix in another sense.
Is Penix really the Falcons’ long-term answer at quarterback?
The Falcons ability to compete for the NFC South crown – at the moment, they’re one game out of first place in a division the Panthers won last season with a losing record – this season will go a long way toward determining where they go with this position.
Remember, Penix – whose selection at eight overall was the big shocker of the 2024 NFL Draft and even more of a surprise to Kirk Cousins – was chosen by the previous regime. Terry Fontenot is no longer the GM and Raheem Morris, despite inspiring his team’s strong finish last season sans Penix, was bounced as head coach.
It’s also worth noting that Cousins – who would have given Atlanta a chance the past couple of games – is off to red-hot start with the Raiders (2-0) as he sets the table for their new franchise quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.
In any event, it’s up to Stefanski, new GM Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan, the franchise legend that team owner Arthur Blank tapped as president of football, to figure out if their future at the game’s most important position will be tied to a quarterback they didn’t invest in.
The clock ticks. Penix is in the third year of a four-year rookie contract; if the team is going to exercise a fifth-year option that decision will come after this season.
And in an upcoming draft that is deep at quarterback – Dante Moore of Oregon and Arch Manning of Texas are considered the top prospects, while Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss can’t be ignored – the Falcons could have a legitimate shot to land an ideal option.
One way or another, it would be a shocker if the Falcons, with Ryan calling the shots, don’t pick a quarterback at some point in the draft next year. Penix is positioned to influence their thinking. We’ll see.
He did it before, when the Falcons drafted him weeks after signing Cousins to a monster free agent contract. But that was then, with the old regime.
It’s a different clock now. But first things first: Penix is back…and it can’t get any worse.
Follow Bell on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Falcons finally have a QB. Now Michael Penix Jr. must prove he's a good one | Opinion
