Michael Penix Jr. didn’t need to say much at mandatory minicamp to put a spotlight on what changed for him this offseason.
Speaking to the media, the 26-year-old told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi that the Falcons’ new coaching staff is stressing footwork, an area he previously struggled with. And in the process, he made clear that the message is landing differently now than it did before.
"I feel like it's just a lot of time put into it," Penix said about footwork. "It's always something that's being pointed out in routes. ...
If you're off time and it's always like they let you know, 'Hey, you got to pick up your feet or take your time a little bit on this drop, you got to work through your progression.' Just stuff like that.
So, I feel like it's just something that is talked about more than it was."
That’s the key line: "more talked about than it was". Penix didn’t have to spell out the comparison for it to be obvious. The third-year quarterback was describing a staff that is drilling the details, and by extension, a previous setup that apparently wasn’t doing that enough.
The Falcons now have Kevin Stefanski, Tommy Rees, Tanner Engstrand, and Alex Van Pelt working with Penix, and the difference is already showing up in the way he talks about his development. Van Pelt and company are making footwork a constant point of emphasis, something Penix says wasn’t happening to the same degree before.
That matters for a quarterback trying to take the next step. Penix has a career completion rate below 60% in two seasons playing for Zac Robinson, and if he wants to beat out Tua Tagovailoa for the Dirty Birds’ Week 1 starting quarterback job, that number needs to climb. Getting the feet right is the first piece of that puzzle.
Robinson’s approach left Penix in a tough spot, and the footwork comment only adds to the case that the former offensive coordinator’s handling of the quarterback room fell short. Now, with a new staff in place, Penix is getting the kind of instruction that should have been there all along.
In Other News...
Falcons Week 1 Quarterback Call Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Ever
The Falcons still have not said who will open the 2026 season at quarterback, and the uncertainty has only made the conversation around Week 1 more interesting. On one side is Tua Tagovailoa, whose accuracy and steadier health profile have made him an easy fit for the way the offense wants to function. On the other is Michael Penix, whose bigger arm gives Atlanta a different kind of ceiling if the staff decides to lean into it.
For now, the competition remains open, but the early offseason work has given one candidate a clearer rhythm with the receivers. Tagovailoa has handled every meaningful rep in 11-on-11 drills so far, which matters in a battle where timing and comfort can shape the first depth-chart decision of the year. Until the Falcons make it official, the question is less about talent than about which direction the staff wants to trust when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Raheem Morris Lands In A Very Different 49ers Spotlight
The 49ers are rolling into the season with a coordinator setup that looks unusual on paper, but familiar enough in the building to make sense. Klay Kubiak has climbed quickly through Kyle Shanahans staff and now gets his first shot as offensive coordinator, while Raheem Morris arrives with the kind of NFL experience that usually comes from years in the chair, not just a few stops along the way. For San Francisco, the appeal is obvious: one side of the ball is built on continuity, the other on a veteran voice with head-coaching mileage.
Morris also brings a history with Shanahan that stretches back to Washington and Atlanta, though it has been years since they worked directly together. That matters because the 49ers are hoping the pairing can steady a defense that needs answers, even as the offense should keep humming under Shanahans structure and returning talent. The real intrigue is whether this blend of youth and experience can produce the kind of balance that keeps San Francisco in the leagues top tier all season. [Read more 🡒]
Tua Tagovailoa Could Be The Falcons Storyline Fans Have Waited For
Tua Tagovailoas fit in Atlanta is the kind of offseason subplot that can linger because it checks so many boxes at once: a quarterback with a complicated injury history, a new setting with real offensive talent around him, and a fan base that has spent years waiting for a franchise-altering answer under center. Bleacher Reports Alex Kay even floated Tagovailoa as a dark horse for AP Comeback Player of the Year, which is the sort of prediction that tends to get louder when a player lands in a situation that looks built to revive his career.
The Falcons have invested heavily in making life easier for a quarterback, and Tagovailoa would not be walking into a bare cupboard. The bigger question is whether the move becomes the long-awaited spark many around the team have imagined or just another reminder of how much hinges on health, timing, and the right fit. For now, it is enough to say the idea has real traction, even if the final chapter is still unwritten. [Read more 🡒]