Arch Manning’s rocky start at Texas is giving the Falcons another reason to slow down when it comes to their 2027 quarterback plans.
That doesn’t mean Atlanta has solved anything under center. Far from it. But Manning’s uneven play has made it harder to view him as the simple answer if the Falcons go hunting for a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Through six games, Manning has thrown five interceptions and is completing just under 64% of his passes. His latest outing, a 27-24 loss to Florida, did little to quiet the doubts. Over the last two weeks, Texas has dropped two straight games to unranked opponents, and Manning’s pocket struggles and poor decisions have been front and center.
He threw two late interceptions against Oklahoma last week, then lost the football on a potential game-winning drive against Florida, effectively ending the game. The arm strength and raw tools are still there, but he clearly needs more development before the No. 1 pick talk gets serious.
Atlanta, though, has its own quarterback mess to sort through first. Michael Penix Jr. has been dealing with injuries, and Tua Tagovailoa is also in the picture. Penix is coming off a recovery from a partially torn ACL suffered in 2025, and he also took a rib injury in the Falcons’ Week 5 loss to the Ravens.
Still, the latest update around Penix was a positive one: he will start against the Chicago Bears this afternoon. If he can stay healthy and keep trending upward, Atlanta would have little reason to burn a premium draft pick on another quarterback, especially if he starts delivering closer to expectations.
Tagovailoa remains part of the discussion as well. The Falcons named him the starter for their season opener against Pittsburgh, and the team has already had to manage the competition between him and Penix. Bringing in another passer would only complicate matters further if Atlanta is still trying to figure out whether Penix can be the long-term solution.
There’s still an argument for keeping Manning on the radar. If the Falcons believe he has franchise-quarterback traits, a bad stretch at Texas shouldn’t wipe him off the board.
He still has four straight games against ranked SEC opponents ahead of him, and those matchups could change how this whole thing looks. His eventual draft decision will matter too.
But Atlanta shouldn’t treat Manning like an automatic fix just because he carries one of the biggest names in college football. The hype has to be backed up by the performance, and right now the turnovers are making that judgment tougher.
The Falcons could still decide Manning is worth the swing. For now, though, they have bigger questions to answer with the quarterbacks already on their roster, while Manning has plenty left to prove before he looks like a true top NFL prospect.
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Michael Penix Jr. has given the Falcons plenty to like in his first three starts, showing up near the top of several offensive categories and settling in as a more encouraging piece of the offense than many expected this early. But there has been one clear trouble spot in his game, and it has shown up whenever defenses have been able to get heat on him in the pocket.
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Falcons Have One Week 6 Concern Fans Cant Ignore
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One small roster move did add a little uncertainty to the picture, though, as Atlanta parted ways with safety Jammie Robinson after using him on both the practice squad and active roster this season. The timing makes it worth watching a little closer, especially with Penix working through a rib issue and the Falcons needing to keep the rest of the roster stable around him as they get ready for Chicago. [Read more 🡒]