Falcons’ Stefanski on Michael Penix Jr.: ‘(He’s) been doing a very good job’
FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will participate in individual periods but is still being held out from 7-on-7 team sessions, coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday afternoon before the team’s second OTA session.
“Mike’s been doing a very good job,” Stefanski said. “His main focus is getting healthy. He’s doing that. Now, with that, he’s able to do more and more football at the direction of our medical staff. So, we’ve been working hand in hand with what that looks like.”
Penix tore his left ACL on Nov. 16 against the Carolina Panthers — he’s six months removed from the injury and subsequent surgery. The Falcons posted videos on social media of Penix throwing passes during the second phase of the offseason program, which largely contains individual work and no team periods.
The Falcons started OTAs on Monday, marking the beginning of 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 sessions and adding another layer to the budding quarterback competition between Penix and Tagovailoa.
Stefanski said the Falcons will split snaps “very intentionally” among their quarterbacks during OTAs. They plan to mix and match quarterbacks and rotate every drill with an eye toward developing Penix, Tagovailoa and the rest of the team’s quarterback room.
The Falcons haven’t set a timeline on Penix’s return to full participation.
“That’s not really where we are thinking at this point,” Stefanski said. “We’re really focused on OTA No. 2. Definitely as a staff, definitely for Mike, we kind of have blinders on and are really just looking at what’s in front of us.”
In addition to Tagovailoa, who the team signed in free agency this offseason after six years with the Miami Dolphins, the Falcons have veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian and undrafted rookie Jack Strand in their quarterback rotation.
The 7-on-7 periods are an important part of quarterback evaluation in phase three of the offseason, Stefanski said. It’s a passing drill with no pressure from the defensive line, which gives the offense an advantage. The Falcons want to see their quarterbacks operate well and complete passes at a high clip. Command of the offense matters, too, during team periods.
Penix won’t yet get the chance to make his mark during those sessions, but the Falcons are evaluating more than just the on-field product in the month ahead.
“We’re focused on making sure each quarterback gets the reps they need for that given day,” Stefanski said, “so they can, No. 1, learn our system, perform and command our system, and then also add to the part of an evaluation. But we take all those things in mind as we set the reps as we work in the meeting rooms. We’re thinking about all those things.”
About the Author
Daniel Flick covers the Falcons and NFL for the AJC. He previously covered the Falcons for Sports Illustrated and chronicled the Indiana Hoosiers’ fairy-tale run to the national championship in the 2025-26 season.
