Atlanta Falcons QB Situation 'Normalized' According to SI

The Atlanta Falcons shocked everyone, not least of which quarterback Kirk Cousins, when they selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

However, after the initial shock wore off, the situation has "normalized" according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Breer credits the quarterbacks themselves for making what could have been an awkward situation appear to be business as usual in Atlanta.

"Yes, things were a little awkward after Michael Penix Jr. was drafted, and Kirk Cousins took in his new circumstance in real time," wrote Breer. "What got Atlanta through a difficult situation—after that subsided—is the quarterbacks.

"Penix’s maturity, humility and emotional intelligence allowed the rookie to carry a tactful approach into what was a pretty unusual entry to the NFL for a top-of-the-first-round quarterback. Cousins, for his part, did what he’s done throughout his career (and he’s been in situations more awkward than this one before) in taking the high road."

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Breer probably wasn't surprised to learn Penix, as well as Cousins, have handled the situation maturely. He reported after the draft that one of the reasons the Falcons took Penix was his willingness to learn behind Cousins... something which J.J. McCarthy seemed less inclined to do.

"(Drake) Maye’s camp declined to do a workout with the Falcons because they were certain he’d be gone by the Falcons’ pick at No. 8, and McCarthy’s team canceled theirs, looking at the landscape and seeing Cousins’s presence as making Atlanta a less realistic, less ideal landing spot," wrote Breer after the draft.

Maye's camp was correct in that he went No. 3 to the New England Patriots, but the Falcons passed on McCarthy who went to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 10.

Another factor Breer pointed to with helping set the pecking order in Atlanta is the Falcons appear to be getting their money's worth from Cousins. Coming off an Achilles injury, there were questions how quickly Cousins would be ready, but the early returns look good... real good.

"That Cousins has looked like himself to this point doesn’t hurt, either," wrote Breer. "He already has a lot of command over new Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense, and is raising the standard for the other 10 guys in the offensive huddle.

"For now, and the foreseeable future, the plan is for Cousins to take all the reps with the starters, and Penix to take all the reps with the backups. But this isn’t the sort of situation where the rookie quarterback needs to redshirt. Atlanta has the flexibility to deploy him as the backup without the sort of risk that, say, New England might run in carrying a reworked Drake Maye as its No. 2 in 2023."

Breer alluded to something we've discussed this spring. Penix should be taking all of the reps with the backups. No one wants Taylor Heinicke taking a practice or game rep away from Penix as the rookie develops. That undrafted rookie John Paddock has been a "pleasant surprise" out of Illinois only lends credence to the idea that Heinicke's days in Atlanta are numbered.

If Paddock replaces Heinicke on the roster, it would be a clean sweep of the quarterback room with Desmond Ridder, Logan Woodside and Heinicke all gone from 2023. While the upheaval may have gotten off to a rocky start, Breer thinks the transition should benefit all parties.

"So while all this has been messy, the bottom line remains this—if Cousins is the quarterback for the next two to three years, and Penix is the guy for the 10 years after that, it really won’t matter how the Falcons got there," wrote Breer. "Of course, by stripping yourself of the ability to build aggressively the way most teams would with a quarterback on a rookie deal (with Cousins’s contract on the books), Atlanta has narrow its path to get there.

"But if they get there, again, the rest becomes a footnote."