The Atlanta Falcons still do not have a clear picture at quarterback heading into Sunday’s home opener against the Carolina Panthers after another uneven day of practice Wednesday.
Michael Penix Jr. threw on a side field while teammates went through their normal stretching routine on the main field. The setup quickly drew a crowd of reporters and cameras.
“Michael Penix Jr. is throwing, and he’s drawn a crowd. Penix opened practice today throwing while the rest of the group went through it’s normal stretching warm-up,” Josh Kendall of The Athletic posted.
Penix has been medically cleared after tearing his left ACL last November, but the Falcons have been cautious. It is his third ACL reconstruction since college. He has not played in a game this season and was inactive for the Week 1 loss at Pittsburgh.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Penix “is not yet ready for live game action” and “wants to be fully confident before stepping onto the field.” Analyst Dan Graziano added that three reconstructions require “a lot of mental work to convince yourself it’s OK to go back out there and play.”
Tua Tagovailoa did not practice Wednesday because of an oblique strain. The same injury kept him out of last Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Steelers after he had been named the starter earlier in the week.
“No Tua Tagovailoa at practice and Michael Penix on another field…,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network wrote.
Coach Kevin Stefanski had already told reporters Tagovailoa would sit out the session. Missing the first practice of the week is rarely followed by a start on Sunday, even if the coach has not officially ruled him out.
Cooper Rush started in Pittsburgh despite back spasms that surfaced the day before the game. Stefanski said Wednesday the veteran is not 100 percent but would take part fully in practice while continuing treatment.
Rush completed 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked four times. Running back Bijan Robinson carried most of the load with 21 rushes for 83 yards and eight catches for 90 yards and a score.
After Rush threw first during individual routes on air, Penix stepped in and took some throws as well. That offered a small positive note on an otherwise cloudy day.
The questions around Penix remain wide open. Reporter Daniel Flick summed it up: “Will he play? Don’t know. Will he start? Don’t know. Will he take first-team reps in team? Don’t know. Has he told the team he’s ready? Don’t know. Hope to find out more on at least a few of these after practice.”
Stefanski said he is not ruling anyone out, including undrafted rookie Jack Strand.
“We will have a quarterback, yes, for this week,” he said. “I’m not trying to be coy. I’m just not ruling anybody out.”
The Falcons signed Tagovailoa in the offseason after Miami released him following a year in which he threw a career-high 15 interceptions. Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in 2024, started 12 games across his first two seasons and completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions before last year’s injury ended his campaign after nine games.
Atlanta is 0-1 and hosts another winless NFC South team Sunday. First-year coach Stefanski, hired after six seasons in Cleveland, now has to navigate unexpected early-season trouble at the most important position on the roster.
Whether Penix or Tagovailoa can get healthy enough to play — or whether Rush can hold the job through another week — will go a long way toward deciding if the Falcons’ season starts to stabilize or keeps sliding.
