How Committed to Michael Penix Jr. Should This New Regime Be?

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons find themselves in a precarious situation at quarterback. As the franchise enters a new era with a new head coach, general manager, and a totally revamped structure, change should become a new normal for the foreseeable future.

As Michael Penix Jr., who will be 26 by the time next season kicks off, recovers from the third season-ending knee injury of his young career, the question of change at quarterback will remain until he proves otherwise. Penix tore his left ACL in November, and the recovery timeline should have him back at some point next summer.

With a new regime, nothing is guaranteed.

Falcons president of football, Matt Ryan, and new general manager, Ian Cunningham, addressed the media on Tuesday, just seven days after new head coach Kevin Stefanski had his turn at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | WATCH

When asked about Penix and whether he is the starter the moment he is healthy or if there would be a quarterback competition, Ryan was far from definitive.

“Well, neither of us [speaking alongside Cunningham] are the head coach of the football team, so we can't answer your question on that,” he explained. “As we start to get into this process and dive deeper into the roster, how it currently stands, where it's, you know, going in the future, I think those are conversations that'll be a part of it.

“Quarterback is obviously very important. And we're, you know, excited about Mike and what he's doing with his rehab. I've been up at the facility over the last three weeks, and Michael's been in there attacking that. He's in a good space right now, so we're excited about where he's at, but certainly a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.”

Stefanski was noncommittal overall, but was later effusive in his praise of Penix’s physical ability as a young quarterback.

“I think with anything roster-related, obviously, we'll be hiring a general manager soon, and that's where I mentioned with Matt, the general manager, myself, we can put our heads together and look at our roster,” the coach explained when first asked about the quarterback position. “Michael [Penix Jr.] is somebody I'm very excited about, and his rehab is what's most important right now.”

Stefanski later said this about his new quarterback, “Michael [Penix Jr.], again, just excited about the physical gifts. What's most important right now for Michael is to get healthy. He knows that. And we'll get to football here shortly, but he's attacking his rehab. I think you see a player on tape that can get through progressions, can layer the ball, can push the ball to all areas in the field.”

Penix showed some progress in his first season as a starter.

Despite a 3-6 record, he flashed some of the physical gifts that the old regime saw in him from college. He also displayed some of the inconsistencies that are not uncommon with young players in the league, but lingering injury concerns have seemed to exacerbate those issues.

He completed 60.1% of his passes, while averaging 220.2 yards per game with nine touchdowns and three interceptions over his nine appearances.

What happens next for the Atlanta Falcons? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Falcons news delivered to your inbox daily!

Aside from Penix, the Falcons only have Kirk Cousins on their active roster, but he will likely be released after he restructured his contract earlier this year. The veteran took over for Penix after his knee injury, and the Falcons finished 5-2 down the stretch. Cousins threw for 210.1 yards per game, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions in that span.

Penix provided a positive update last Wednesday, but the Falcons will surely sign at least one veteran to join the young quarterback as he recovers from his injury.