What We Learned Watching Michael Penix Jr. at Falcons OTAs

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons kicked off organized team activities (OTAs) this week, but all anybody is thinking about is the health and status of Michael Penix Jr. The third-year quarterback reaffirmed his goal to be ready by the regular season, saying that had “always been” what he had set out to do.

“It's not my first rodeo,” Penix said. “I'm focused on me, and whatever I can do each and every day to make sure my body is ready for whenever the time comes.”

He is now a full six months removed from his ACL surgery, and the quarterback was back on the field at Flowery Branch for the early stages of his competition with Tua Tagovailoa. While he is not a full participant in the team’s offseason activities, he was very involved. Social media videos circulated online last week, but the media had their first look at him on Tuesday.

Side by side throwing from Penix and Tagovailoa pic.twitter.com/LdTNQSmeXu
— Garrett Chapman (@gchapatl) May 19, 2026

Penix said Tuesday that he felt like himself out there, and by all accounts, he looked normal.

He was a full participant during the 7-on-7 and individual drills. The football was regularly zipping out of his hand as he threw alongside Tagovailoa and the other quarterbacks.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time,” Penix said after the second day of OTAs. “Trusting the process, trusting in what the trainers are telling me, and giving me all the information I need to go out and be successful, and to be healthy at the same time. So, I’ve just been taking it one day at a time and just striving and striving to be better each and every day.”

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski was less committal about the availability of his quarterback, but did say that he was “right where [he] needs to be” and that the staff will be “intentional” about how it goes about things.

Stefanski praised offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt for their ability to spread the reps around while ensuring that no one fell behind or that the rest of the team was negatively affected.

“I think [offensive coordinator] Tommy Rees does an outstanding job of making sure that we’re intentional about how we want this to operate,” the Falcons head coach said. “One guy will be up first for one period and then switch with the next period and rotate every single day and really almost every drill because the truth is we’re trying to get the best version of all of our players, so we want to mix and match guys in different spots.”

Penix confirmed that he has been throwing since March, but now Tagovailoa is mixed in alongside him, and the pressure is slowly building. The quarterback said Tuesday he is focused on himself, but the reality is that his competition has 64 more professional starts under his belt, 15k more career passing yards, and the advantage of health.

He said that pressure has not affected his faster-than-anticipated return to action or his plans for the next several weeks. The focus, he says, is on himself.

The evaluation is ongoing, but the real competition is set to heat up in July when the Falcons come together for training camp. There is a long way to travel before they reach that point, and both quarterbacks still have to acclimate.

For now, Penix is focused on the things he can control in the here and now.

“I’m running my own race,” he said. “I can’t look in another lane, but at the same time, we’re working together. That’s what it’s all about: working together and helping each other finish the race.”

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