They're a bit late, but the calvary is on the way for the Atlanta Falcons. They will arrive on Thursday night in Green Bay in the form of third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who will make his 2026 debut after sitting out since Week 11 last season with his third career ACL tear.
Penix hasn't had much of a chance to live up to his full potential yet at this level, having had to sit behind Kirk Cousins for the majority of his rookie season and then having his second year cut in half by the injury.
Still, Penix has a much, much higher ceiling than any other quarterback on Atlanta's roster right now - especially Cooper Rush, who put the Falcons in an 0-2 hole to begin the season almost single-handedly with a slew of turnovers.
We don't know what
Penix will look like in a live game situation until we see. However, for what it's worth offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has liked what he's seen from Penix at practice these last few weeks. Here's what he shared about that, per Josh Kendall at The Athletic.
“I think Mike looks good, man, I really do,” Rees said. “Mike’s done everything we’ve asked of him really the last few weeks. He’s looked sharp without any limitations. He’s moved in the pocket. He’s gotten outside of the pocket. I’ll let the medical (staff) handle (the injury), but I’m very pleased with where Mike’s been.”
It's easy to forget now, but Penix was one of the best quarterbacks in the loaded class of 2024 coming out of college, where he shined at Washington and was a Heisman finalist in his last season at Washington, ultimately finishing second behind Jayden Daniels.
Penix has zip and range on his throws and has previously excelled in an aggressive downfield passing attack.
That said, there's no guarantee he will be able to salvage Atlanta's season. If he can't immediately right the ship the Falcons will likely be in line for a top-five overall pick in next year's draft, where they'd have to at least seriously consider taking a quarterback.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons OC Tommy Rees comments on progress for Michael Penix Jr.
