Roddy White didn’t mince words when he looked at Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons’ situation. The former Atlanta star likes what he’s seen from the quarterback when Penix is on the field. What he wants more than anything else is simple: availability.
“As far as where our franchise is right now, we do need him to be available each and every week,” White said while speaking to SI on Falcons at the the Chase for Business’ Make Your Move Summit in Atlanta this week. “It's been tough to deal with when he's not in there because the game plan, and the team, changes so much.
“Everyone in that locker room trusts and believes in him, and he gives us the best opportunity to win. We love it when he's out there, but he has to be out there to help us win and get some of these W's in these close games that we've been playing up to this point.”
That’s the whole story with Penix right now. He has shown stretches that look franchise-caliber, but the Falcons have not had him enough to build around it consistently.
Penix is in his third season with Atlanta, yet he has made just 16 starts. He missed 10 games in 2025 and the start of this season because of a knee injury.
His injury history has followed him for years. Before arriving in Atlanta, Penix dealt with multiple knee and shoulder injuries in college. Then, in his first full year as an NFL starter, he partially tore his left ACL and was out until Week 3 of this season.
Since then, he has started every game. That should quiet some of the talk about the injury concerns, at least for now.
But there was another hit to the Falcons’ season in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens, when Penix left late in the fourth quarter with a rib injury. He missed overtime, and Atlanta lost.
“Those are the times that you need your quarterback to come through and make plays for you so you can win those,” White said.
White also pointed to what Penix means for the rest of the offense, using Drake London as the clearest example. London, whom White called one of the best receivers in the league, has averaged 40 receiving yards per game when Penix has started this season. With Penix starting, that number jumps to 117.5 receiving yards per game.
White’s comments came while he was in Atlanta this past week partnering with Chase Bank to support entrepreneurs in the Southeast. The Chase for Business’ Make Your Move Summit ran from Oct. 20-22 and drew more than 1,000 small-business owners from Atlanta and surrounding states to network and learn best practices for starting and growing a small business.
White knows that world well. After his 11 seasons with the Falcons from 2005-15, he launched a construction company that builds single-family homes, small developments and commercial real estate. The company mainly works in Atlanta, with some business in North Carolina and South Carolina as well.
“A lot of us just out here communicating, doing business with each other, learning from each other, helping each other along the way.,” White said at the summit. “Chase helps us navigate through the business space, as far as what directions to go in, what people you need to talk to for banking situations and how you can build your business on a week to week, month to month, year to year basis.
“This is an opportunity to also come in and learn from each other and also just communicate within the structure of a business and have fun with each other and learn from each other.”
White’s football résumé still carries weight in Atlanta. He put together six straight 1,100-yard seasons from 2007-12, earned four consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2008-11 and was named first-team All-Pro in 2010. He remains the Falcons’ all-time leader in receiving touchdowns and is second in receptions and receiving yards behind Julio Jones.
In Other News...
Raheem Morris Returns With A Test Michael Penix Must Answer
Raheem Morris is set to come back to Atlanta in a new role, this time guiding the undefeated 49ers defense instead of running the Falcons. For a team still trying to settle in under Michael Penix Jr., the matchup adds a familiar face to an already meaningful stretch, especially with the quarterback facing another early test in his development.
Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is expected to see Morris across the sideline when San Francisco visits. The reunion gives the Falcons a look at a coach who once led their sideline, and it puts Penix in front of a defense built to make life difficult as Atlanta tries to keep moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Harris Falcons Revival Is Slipping Away Fast
Christian Harris came to Atlanta this offseason looking for a reset, hoping the Falcons could offer the kind of fresh start that once seemed out of reach after injuries knocked him out of his job with the Texans. He got an early look during OTAs and appeared to have a path into the linebacker mix, but the room has shifted quickly around him as younger players have pushed their way up the board.
What looked like a chance to revive his career has now turned into a waiting game, and not a very encouraging one. Harris has slid behind Kendal Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr. and others, leaving him with a shrinking role and a spot on the roster that feels increasingly fragile as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Exit Put Falcons Offense In A Tense Spot
For a stretch in the third quarter against the 49ers, the Falcons had to make do without Drake London after he went off the field for a concussion evaluation following a helmet-to-helmet hit. Atlanta was already leaning on its top wideout, and before the injury scare, London had a team-high five catches for 43 yards, a reminder of how central he has become to the offense.
The good news for the Falcons was that London was eventually cleared and returned to the game, easing what could have been a much bigger concern in a tight spot. Even so, any time a receiver with that kind of role leaves the field after a hit like that, it puts the offense on edge and leaves Atlanta watching closely for the next update. [Read more 🡒]