The Falcons head into 2026 with more quarterback uncertainty than they’ve had in years, and Michael Penix Jr. is right in the middle of it.
Atlanta is carrying four quarterbacks into Week 1, which tells the story on its own. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand has been a pleasant surprise, but the rest of the room comes with major questions.
Cooper Rush is a 32-year-old career backup. Tua Tagovailoa didn’t win the QB1 job despite having no competition over the summer.
And Penix, the player the Falcons need to take a real step forward, has a lot to prove if this group is going to settle into anything close to stability.
That’s part of why ESPN included Penix on its list of players, coaches and GMs under the most pressure this season. He’s also part of the class of 2024 that may or may not have its fifth-year option picked up.
“Penix posted a 57.9 Total QBR in his nine games as a starter in 2025, although the quarterback's year ended with the third torn ACL of his career.”
The bigger issue is how often Penix simply misses his target. ESPN noted that he was inaccurate on nearly 26% of his throws last season, and when he missed, the misses were costly. He was fortunate not to throw twice as many interceptions as he did in 2025.
If Penix can clean up the accuracy issues and show real growth working through his progressions, then the Falcons would have a reason to keep investing in him and exercise that option. If not, the pressure only gets heavier from here.
In Other News...
Falcons Defense Is Taking On A New Identity Up Front
The Falcons have spent this stretch of roster building making their defensive intentions pretty clear, and it starts with the front. General manager Ian Cunningham has described a philosophy built around bigger, stronger, more physical players, and Atlanta has backed it up by adding defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. and claiming edge rusher Jared Ivey off waivers as part of a broader effort to reshape the line.
Those moves fit with a larger pattern that also includes a trade for Masson Smith, the drafting of Ethan Onianwa and a waiver claim on Cameron Williams, all with the same goal in mind: more size and more depth up front. The interesting part now is not just the accumulation of bodies, but how quickly this new identity can take hold once the Falcons get on the field and ask those additions to translate philosophy into pressure, leverage and control at the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Passed On A Veteran Edge Option They May Need
Azeez Ojularis brief run in Atlanta ended before it ever really got started, with the veteran edge rusher failing to make the Falcons 53-man roster or their practice squad after signing with the team in March. Ojulari, who has put together 22 sacks and 113 tackles across five NFL seasons, quickly found a new landing spot by joining the Raiders practice squad.
For a Falcons defense still sorting through its depth on the edge, the decision stands out because the team clearly continued to stock up elsewhere, adding several players to bring its practice squad to 16. Atlanta has options to evaluate, but passing on a player with Ojularis experience leaves a familiar question hanging over the roster: whether the pass rush is complete enough as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Still Have One Unsettling QB Question Before Week 1
The Falcons are heading into the final stretch of camp with the most important question on the roster still unresolved: who opens Week 1 at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are competing for the job, and the decision appears tied to Penixs readiness more than anything else. Along the way, head coach Kevin Stefanski has publicly praised Penixs progress, but he has stopped short of naming a starter, leaving the team in a holding pattern as the opener draws closer.
Ian Rapoports read on the situation added another layer of uncertainty, suggesting Tagovailoa could get the first crack if Penix is not ready, though possibly with a short leash. A decision could come soon, but there is no guarantee it will, which is not exactly the kind of clarity a team wants with Week 1 approaching. For Atlanta, the bigger concern now is less about who wins the job than how much patience the staff will have if the first answer does not settle the issue for long. [Read more 🡒]