The Falcons may be spending the week talking about Michael Penix Jr.’s possible season debut, but the bigger issue might be sitting on the right edge of the offensive line. After the 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta is suddenly thin in a hurry, and Jawaan Taylor’s rib injury has put Thursday’s primetime trip to Lambeau Field in question.
That matters because right tackle becomes the blindside spot when Penix - and Tua Tagovailoa - are under center as left-handed quarterbacks. If Taylor can’t go, the Falcons would be missing the player they were counting on to handle that side. Not exactly ideal when the goal is keeping your quarterback upright.
Michael Jerrell is the most likely replacement. He took the first-team snaps when Taylor left the game, and he’d be the safer bet to step in if needed. But there’s another name in the mix, and it would make for a very different kind of NFL debut: rookie Ethan Onianwa.
Atlanta took Onianwa in the seventh round of the 2026 Draft out of Ohio State, viewing him as a developmental swing tackle who could grow into the role with Bill Callahan’s help. The tools are there - he’s 6-foot-6 and 333 pounds - but the rest of the package is still catching up. He didn’t play a snap in the opener, was a healthy inactive against the Panthers, and has no regular-season reps at all.
That’s what makes this week such a jump. One minute he’s a long-term project, the next he could be one injury away from starting in a high-pressure setting on Thursday night.
And if that happens, the assignment won’t be gentle. Green Bay’s pass rush is one of the best in the NFL, even with Micah Parsons out, and the Packers have a defense tied for the second-most sacks. Onianwa was bullied by Jonathon Cooper in the preseason, which is hardly the kind of tape that inspires comfort against a front like this.
He has the frame to hold up at the next level, but the technique and experience are still works in progress. The Falcons may find out a lot about him quickly if Taylor can’t answer the bell. And if Penix is making his season debut, Atlanta would be asking a rookie with no regular-season snaps to help protect him on the sport’s biggest stage.
That’s the NFL for you: next man up, no warning, no easing in. Onianwa could be in line for his shot whether the Falcons are ready for it or not.
In Other News...
Falcons Captain Had A Blunt Response To Fans Booing Sunday
The mood turned quickly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday as the Falcons home opener slipped away in a 34-3 loss to the Panthers, and the boos that followed were hard to miss. For a team trying to settle in early at home, it was the kind of afternoon that leaves little room for spin, and linebacker Divine Deablo, one of Atlantas captains, did not try to offer any.
Deablo took accountability for the performance and did not place blame on the crowds reaction, a stance that matched the tone set by fellow captain Jessie Bates III. For the Falcons, the bigger issue was not the noise from the stands but the way the game unraveled, and how quickly their first home chance of the season became a frustration for everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Added More Tension To Atlantas Ugly Loss
The Falcons Week 2 loss to the Panthers was already messy on the field, and it only got more uncomfortable for Atlanta when Drake London got into a verbal exchange with someone in the stands. London later acknowledged that personal comments from the individual triggered his reaction, and he said he regretted how he responded. For a team already trying to sort out an offense that sputtered with veteran Cooper Rush starting before rookie Jack Strand took over, the sideline-to-stands moment was another distraction in a game Atlanta would rather forget.
London remains one of the most important pieces of the Falcons attack, which is why anything pulling attention away from the football matters. The incident added another layer of frustration to an afternoon when the offense never found much rhythm, and it left Atlanta dealing with not just the loss itself but the kind of sideline fallout that can linger after a rough Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Offense Is Becoming An Early Problem Fans Feared
Through two weeks, the Falcons have landed in an unwelcome spot near the bottom of the leagues latest NFL power rankings, sitting 32nd after a start that has only deepened early worries about the offense. The updated list paints Atlanta as a team still searching for answers, with little evidence so far that the unit is close to finding the rhythm fans expected heading into the season.
The concern is less about one rough Sunday than the broader feeling that this could linger if the offense does not quickly stabilize. Miami is only one spot ahead at 31st, which underscores just how shaky the early-season picture looks for both teams, but for Atlanta the bigger issue is whether the problems on offense are becoming a pattern rather than a short-term slump. [Read more 🡒]