Michael

Penix

“It’s all very intentional,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters when asked about the team’s quarterback rotation in offseason practices. Penix, coming off knee surgery this offseason, is participating in individual drills and seven on seven drills for now. When he’s ready, Penix is expected to split first-team snaps with Tagovailoa, by far the more accurate of the two Atlanta QBs. Falcons president of football operations Matt Ryan said in early May that he was unsure if Penix would be fully healthy to start training camp in late July. Stefanski has said the team will not “rush” Penix back under center. Tagovailoa, who ranks sixth in EPA per drop back over the past three NFL seasons, would seem to be the odds-on favorite to start the regular season as Atlanta’s starter.

Penix is nearly six months removed from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 season. The team was uncertain of his status heading into camp, but the good news for Penix is that he “is participating in Phase 2 of the Falcons’ offseason program”, a team spokesperson told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. Per NFL rules, this means Penix can participate in “individual and group instruction and drills but not a full-fledged practice with 11-on-11s or 7-on-7s.” The 26-year-old has now suffered three torn ACLs over his college and pro career and may be competing with Tua Tagovailoa for the Falcons’ starting job. Participation in parts of the Falcons’ offseason program is a good sign for Penix while he ramps back up to full health.

The Falcons continue to talk like a team expecting to be without Penix at the start of training camp, while holding out some hope that anything could change those expectations. Ryan is the latest dance around the topic, while back in March, head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team was “not gonna rush him” back to the field, and before that, it was reported that the team expects to be healthy “at some point in training camp.” For what it’s worth, Ryan did say he thinks Penix is “in a good spot right now,” but that can mean one of many things. Until he returns, Tua Tagovailoa is expected to operate as the QB1 and will likely have the inside edge to start in Week 1, the longer Penix remains out of commission.

Given the nature of Penix’s injury, its timing (Week 11), and his lengthy history of significant lower-body injuries, the decision not to rush him back is probably a good one. Stefanski, who is now with his second team and still in search of an answer at quarterback at either of his stops, went out and added Tua Tagovailoa to his quarterback room this offseason. Tagovailoa figures to have the inside edge on being named the Week 1 starter due to Penix’s injury, but barring a spectacular development in which Tagovailoa cements himself as the unquestioned QB1 on the team, we would still expect to see Penix on the field at some point in 2026 when healthy. Penix is only four months removed from his surgery for a torn ACL, which can take anywhere from six to 12 months to come back from. He could be a candidate to open camp on the PUP list depending on how the next few months go.

The Falcons’ 2026 training camp dates have not yet been released. Last year’s training camp began on July 24th to August 13th. Wolfe somewhat casually broke the news while discussing the Falcons’ impending quarterback competition between Penix and QB Tua Tagovailoa. Penix underwent surgery to reconstruct a partially torn ACL after suffering the injury in November 2025. Tagovailoa will get to work with the first-team offense until Penix is ready to practice, which could give Tagovailoa an edge in the competition. It seems likely that both players will start at times during the regular season, perhaps warranting QB2 consideration.

How much the 28-year-old Tagovailoa can mentor the soon-to-be-26-year-old Penix is anyone’s guess, but it sounds like Tua and Penix will have a working relationship as they compete for the Falcons’ Week 1 starting gig. “I look at myself when I was a rookie and I was very grateful for the chance that I had with someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick,” Tagovailoa told reporters Monday in his first comments since signing with Atlanta. “I think whatever I can do to help Mike’s game will help me because if I’m helping getting him better, it’s helping me get better, vice versa, we’re then helping the team get better. ... It’s the collection of what’s best for the team, not just the individual.” It remains to be seen whether Penix, coming off his latest major knee injury, will be ready for the regular season opener. That could leave Tua as the default starter in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. " Tua in 2025 ranked 31st out of 37 qualifying quarterbacks in drop back success rate, just below Tyler Shough and Justin Fields. Penix, meanwhile, was 18th in success rate, in line with Jaxson Dart.

This comes a few days after it was reported by NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe that the Falcons would have “an open competition” at QB between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix. Of course, with Penix recovering from a torn ACL, it’s still unknown whether or not he will be able to compete for the job by the time camp rolls around. Tagovaila figures to have the inside edge on winning the QB1 role based on where things stand right now, but that could change if Penix is healthy by the time camp starts. Regardless of who wins the QB1 job, we would expect Tagovailoa and Penix to both make multiple starts in 2026.

Open competitions do not often favor the incumbent, particularly an incumbent who is likely to miss most of the offseason activities and training camp with a torn ACL. We’d handicap Tua Tagovailoa as the favorite to win the job at this moment, giving him some QB2 superflex upside in what figures to be a run-first offense with Bijan Robinson.

On the same day he learned he would be released by the Dolphins, Tagovailoa now lands in Atlanta on a one-year deal for a minimum salary. The former No. 5 overall pick will be in a prove-it year with the Falcons and head coach Kevin Stefanski, who inherited a tough situation at quarterback with Michael Penix (knee) unlikely to be ready for the start of the season and Kirk Cousins expected to be release. Assuming he’s the Falcons’ starter for Week 1, Tagovailoa will likely get every chance he can to prove he’s the guy for the job in the long haul, but we wouldn’t expect him to start all 17 games even if healthy. Pressure will mount as Penix nears a return and unless Tua is playing well above expectations, Stefanski will likely pivot back to Penix for a look at some point.

“I think you guys know how I feel about Michael and I’m excited about his trajectory. I also know he’s focused on his rehab, which is the right thing to do,” Stefanski continued. Penix certainly appears to be the starting quarterback on the roster by default, but it’s possible that the Falcons could get involved in free agency to find a bridge quarterback — or perhaps more — to upgrade the room. It’s not as if Penix’s first two years of action were unimpeachable proof he has to start in 2026. It’s a situation to watch as free agency unfolds.