Falcons Still Believe Michael Penix Jr. Can Win QB Competition

FLOWERY BRANCH – If the average person were to observe an Atlanta Falcons training camp practice, they would be none the wiser about Michael Penix Jr.’s continued ACL recovery. The third-year quarterback looks the part during practices, but is still awaiting clearance to return to full team activities.

His next appointment to have his knee checked out is in two weeks, so it is unlikely that the Falcons will get a good look at him between now and their trip back from Indianapolis for their second preseason game of the summer next week.

With Penix still unable to contribute fully, the natural assumption is that he is falling out of contention for the starting job. However, the Falcons have insisted that he still has every shot to win that competition. Despite the clearance holdup, Kevin Stefanski remains confident that Penix is right where he should be.

“I’m very, very confident in where we are with Mike,” Stefanski said. “I think he’s doing a great job. I’m confident in the plan that medical has for Mike, and that Mike has in everything we’re asking him to do. I think confidence comes from all of these reps, and when he’s cleared for 11-on-11, confidence comes from those reps as well. Very, very pleased with where Mike is.”

Penix addressed the media on Wednesday and said his knee is in great condition, and his doctor said he should not expect knee problems for the rest of his career. He explained that he can do just about everything except take a hit.

After two ACL tears in college, it comes down to clearing the mental hurdle of trusting his knee again. That takes time, and the Falcons are not inclined to rush him back into action just yet, even if he looks virtually normal on the practice field.

“It’s in your mind,” Penix said Wednesday. “I know the mental aspect of it. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I am healthy,’ but it’s like, ‘OK, do I trust that?’

“It’s more so having that confidence in it and not worrying about it. Injuries happen in football. At the same time, you don’t want it to happen again. So, it’s like I’ve got to get out of my mind, ‘What if it happens again?’ and just go out there and just play.”

Tua Tagovailoa will start for the Falcons on Friday in their first preseason game of the summer, but there is still confidence that Penix will be ready for Week 1 – and potentially still in play as the starting quarterback. Regardless of whether he can participate in 11-on-11s, quarterback coach Alex Van Pelt insists that he believes the Falcons should have enough to evaluate Penix in the race to be the signal caller.

“I really do,” Van Pelt said about Penix’s place in the quarterback race on Tuesday. “I think he’s done everything he could possibly do to put himself in position to compete. So, it’ll be a matter of time when that comes, and then we’ll reset and kind of take a look at it from a big picture of once he’s available.”

As he said back in June during mandatory minicamp, the competition just cannot be on a level playing field and should naturally be weighted differently.

“You can’t say it’s an equal scale,” he explained. “In team [drills], you got all the bodies around you. In 7-on-7, you don’t. It’s a little bit less stressful in a 7-on-7 situation, but you still have to make the right reads and accurate throws.”

And that accuracy is a critical component in a Stefanski offense that relies heavily on rhythm and timing.

Penix, who is a career 59.6% passer over 14 NFL games, has plenty of room to improve in this area as he continues to mature as a professional player. Unfortunately, he will not be blessed with the time to make that happen. Tagovailoa is well regarded for his elite accuracy and has already been lauded by Stefanski for his “God-given” ability to throw the football, but he also lacks the arm strength that Penix flashes.

It makes for an interesting competition, but one that remains on the back burner until Penix gets that full clearance from his doctors.

In the interim, Penix has prioritized getting comfortable under center. He made just one dropback from under center in 2025, but the new regime will add a lot more of that work to this offense in 2026. It’s on him to adapt, and thus far, he has.

“I love his footwork,” Van Pelt said. “He looks great, and I think it’s only going to help us in the run game, in the play-action game, and the keeper game if we can get our quarterbacks to play under center.”

Both players are continuing to learn the offense and build their comfort level under this staff. The preseason start on Friday could serve as a major boost to Tagovailoa’s stock in the race, but the door is still wide open for Penix once he gets that clearance. Stefanski left the door open to naming a starter soon, but not until they “feel it’s necessary.”

Camp runs through Aug 27, and this race could drag through that point, or it may not. For now, Tagovailoa will get the game reps, but the Falcons continue to insist that the competition remains open until Penix receives medical clearance and gets his opportunity to respond.

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