Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. 'Great Unknown' QB Heading into 2025

The Atlanta Falcons made the mistake of not starting quarterback Desmond Ridder until December of his rookie season. It's possible the Falcons just made the same error with rookie signal caller Michael Penix Jr.

If Penix develops into a franchise quarterback, then the fact the Falcons waited until almost Christmas to start him as a rookie will be forgotten. But not every pundit is onboard with Penix for certain becoming a star signal caller.

On his post-championship game quarterback rankings, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport placed Penix at No. 23 overall. At that spot, Penix was firmly in what Davenport described as "the hope tier."

"Penix is the great unknown of this list. After Kirk Cousins faltered down the stretch, Atlanta's decision to double-down under center by drafting Penix appeared wise," Davenport wrote. "He also showed some flashes in limited action.

"But the reality is that we have only seen three NFL starts from Penix. It's going to be a while before we know if Penix's ranking here is too high, too low or spot-on."

The Falcons also had hope Ridder would develop into a starter behind center after he fared well at the end of his rookie season. He went 2-2 with a 63.5% completion percentage and two touchdowns with zero interceptions while averaging 6.2 yards per attempt at the end of 2022.

But staying with Marcus Mariota as the starter into December, Ridder didn't receive as much playing time to development as he could have during his rookie season. Then in 2023, he struggled taking care of the ball, as he threw as many interceptions as touchdowns (12).

The comparisons between Ridder and Penix should probably end there. Unlike Ridder, who was a third-round choice, Penix was a top 10 pick. Penix came into the league with far more talent and more pro-ready than Ridder.

So, maybe it won't matter Penix didn't have many opportunities to develop on the field during games as a rookie.

Still, Davenport's analysis works as a reminder that Penix is hardly a finished product. There's great potential and hope surrounding the young signal caller. But he, as every young player does, has work to do.

Like Ridder, Penix probably should have played earlier than he did during his rookie season. But in Penix's case, the Falcons wouldn't have just been turning toward the future with a switch to the rookie quarterback. Arguably, Penix would have given the Falcons a better chance of earning a playoff spot than Kirk Cousins.

Penix finished his rookie season with a 1-2 record. In both of his defeats. the Falcons lost the coin toss in overtime and immediately gave up a touchdown to lose. Penix and the Atlanta offense never touched the ball in overtime.

Penix also had a 58.1% completion percentage with three touchdowns and three interceptions while averaging 7.4 yards per pass as a rookie.