Michael Penix Jr.

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• Falcons' Michael Penix: Not yet cleared for full-team drills

  6D ago • By RotoWire

  Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Penix (ACL) has not yet been cleared for 11-on-11 drills at OTAs, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports. Penix took part in non-contact 7-on-7 drills and individual work during OTAs in mid-May, but he's not yet ready to ramp up his participation level to 11-on-11 activities. In the meantime, the full allotment of such reps will go the way of Tua Tagovailoa. Once Penix is fully recovered from the surgery he underwent in mid-November of the 2025 season to repair a partially torn left ACL, however, he and Tagovailoa will be slated to compete for No. 1 reps. Stefanski declined to offer a specific assessment of Penix's rehab progress to date, per Raimondi, though he said the 2024 first-round pick is doing "outstanding" and is "exactly where he needs to be" despite not yet being "100 percent."

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• Falcons' Michael Penix: Taking part in 7-on-7s

  14D ago • By RotoWire

  Penix (knee) will participate in 7-on-7s and individual drills Tuesday, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports. Practices in May are no-contact, and mostly at less than full speed. It's nonetheless a good sign for Penix to be on the field in any fashion less than six months removed from surgery to repair the third ACL tear of his football career. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski hinted at a return to full-team drills in the not-so-distant future, but that doesn't necessarily mean Penix will be cleared for contact during training camp in late July. Stefanski also mentioned that the team will be "very intentional" about splitting reps between Penix and Tua Tagovailoa, per Tori McElhaney of the team's official site. The Falcons have made it clear they signed Tagovailoa to compete for the starting job, even if Penix clears all medical hurdles long before Week 1.

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• Falcons' Michael Penix: Taking part in throwing drills

  21D ago • By RotoWire

  The Falcons shared a video Tuesday showing Penix (knee - ACL) throwing to Drake London during spring offseason workouts, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reports. Penix is six months into his recovery from a partially torn left ACL suffered in mid-November of the 2025 season, his third such injury in the last eight years, so his participation in throwing drills is an encouraging sign. Atlanta has confirmed that the third-year QB is taking part in Phase 2 of the offseason program, which includes individual and group work but not yet 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 team drills. Beyond continuing his rehab and meeting the expected trajectory of Year 3 development, Penix also faces the challenge of learning new head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense while competing for the starting job with fellow southpaw Tua Tagovailoa, who signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with Atlanta this offseason. Penix has offered optimism that he will be ready for Week 1, though the Falcons haven't provided an official timetable for his recovery.

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• Falcons' Michael Penix: Expects to be ready for Week 1

  01/29/2026 • By RotoWire

  Penix (knee) said Wednesday he "look[s] forward to being back Week 1," but he added "we'll see" and noted that Atlanta's medical staff will have "the last word" on his recovery timetable, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Penix mentioned his familiarity with the process of rehabbing from ACL tears, as he suffered similar injuries twice during his collegiate career, both to his right knee. Currently, Penix is rehabbing from a torn left ACL for which he underwent surgery Nov. 25, roughly 9.5 months prior to Week 1 of the 2026 campaign. That places Week 1 squarely within the typical 9-to-12-month recovery timetable for ACL tears, albeit on the earlier end of the scale. Per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site, new head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Penix already has resumed "attacking his rehab" at the team's training facility. Stefanski expressed excitement about Penix as "a young player who will continue to develop and continue to get better." Meanwhile, veteran Kirk Cousins is the only other quarterback under contract with Atlanta for 2026, though he reworked his deal with the team in early January in a maneuver that likely will result in either another restructure or his release prior to March 13, per Field Yates of ESPN.

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• Falcons' Michael Penix: Surgery goes well

  11/26/2025 • By RotoWire

  Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that Penix (knee) underwent full reconstructive surgery to address the partially torn ACL in his left knee on Tuesday and experienced no complications with the procedure, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Penix faces a nine-month recovery timetable as a result of the procedure. The 25-year-old quarterback has now undergone ACL reconstructive surgeries three times in his career, as he previously had procedures on his right knee in 2018 and 2020 while in college. He also suffered season-ending injuries to each shoulder in 2019 and 2021. Morris has said that the severe nature of Penix's injury will "100 percent" influence Atlanta to "make some different plans" at quarterback this offseason, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, though that could just as easily refer to the team prioritizing a reliable backup rather than bringing in actual competition for the starting role. Kirk Cousins will start the remainder of the season under center for the Falcons, but this offseason the team can exercise a potential 'out' for the final two season of his four-year, $180 million contract at the cost of a $35 million dead-cap hit. Atlanta doesn't currently hold any first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which will limit the team's ability to maneuver in pursuit of a high-upside alternative at quarterback.

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