Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski officially announced that former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. will not be playing in the Falcons’ preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins, according to The Falcoholic’s Jeanna Kelley.
Penix was fully cleared last weekend to play in 11-on-11 and team drills, with the hope that he would be able to compete for the starter role in Week 1 alongside fellow quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
With this news, Tagovailoa will likely start on Friday against the Dolphins in Miami.
What Does This Mean for Penix?It could mean a couple of things.
On the one hand, Penix has not been idle as he recovered; he has been with the team, participating in 7-on-7 periods while continuing to work back from the ACL injury he suffered in mid-November of last year. So, there is the possibility that Stefanski is holding on to his potential franchise quarterback until he is needed in week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, Stefanski has gone on record, stating that he is still not comfortable with Penix potentially taking hits to that knee so soon after being cleared, paving the way for Tagovailoa to start the season under center, despite reports of not doing enough this offseason to lock down the position.
Stefanski said Penix just started doing 11s two days ago and he felt like it was too early to put him into a game. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) August 26, 2026Penix said he does feel comfortable and confident moving around on that repaired knee, and he said he does feel like he could be ready to play Week 1.
Stefanski told the media after practice that Tua Tagovailoa will start against his former team this week, Cooper Rush will play next and Jack Strand will close out the game.
The Falcons have found themselves in a rough spot at the quarterback position to start the year; it’s no wonder it’s one of the more polarizing stories surrounding the NFL lexicon right now.
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