Two years after the Falcons made Michael Penix the eighth overall pick in the draft, the new regime in Atlanta has not made any commitments to Penix as the franchise quarterback going forward. Falcons President Matt Ryan says Penix needs to get healthy before anything else.
Ryan said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that his conversations with Penix have focused on attacking his rehab from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in November.
“I have had the opportunity to sit with Michael and number one, how do we bring him along? You get healthy first,” Ryan said. “The first thing you’ve got to do is get yourself in a place where we can practice and do that. So, job number one for Michael is to keep doing exactly what he’s doing. He’s been in our building doing his rehab. He’s in a good place right now. . . . Everybody’s like, ‘When is he going to be back?’ Well, you don’t know. There’s ups and downs that come with that rehab space, but we feel like we’re on track and in a good space with Michael right now.”
Even if Penix were healthy, the Falcons might want to bring in another quarterback to compete with him. Given that he might not be cleared by Week One, the Falcons will certainly bring in another quarterback, perhaps to start ahead of Penix. But Ryan says the Falcons still believe Penix can grow as a starting quarterback.
“How do you help him improve? Number one, it starts with surrounding him with really solid coaches,” Ryan said. “I’m excited about [Falcons quarterbacks coach] Alex Van Pelt coming in. He’s a good football coach. Coming in, you talk about the wealth of experience that he has for a young player like Michael. I think that’s really good. . . . Michael does a great job. He can spin the football. We’re excited about what he does and we’re excited about the staff we’re putting around him.”
Now the question is how soon Penix will be cleared to return — and whether he can earn the starting job when he is.
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