Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski announced Monday morning that QB Michael Penix Jr. will be inactive in Week 1 against the Steelers, per Tori McElhaney of the team website.
Veteran QB Cooper Rush will back up starting QB Tua Tagovailoa, who just got the nod as the starter this morning.
It was recently reported Tagovailoa will have a “short leash” as the starter, as Penix’s recovery from an ACL injury was a factor in Tagovailoa winning the job.
It seems that he’s not quite healthy enough to play if the team isn’t activating him as the backup. Ian Rapoport said on Monday morning Penix did not believe he was ready and has barely practiced. He added the hope is to give Penix a couple more weeks of practice before he plays.
Stefanski said Penix is “getting better and better” in his recovery process.
“We’re all on the same page, and feel good about where he is heading,” he said via McElhaney.
Penix, 25, transferred from Indiana to Washington for the 2022 season, after spending four seasons at Indiana. The Falcons used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft on Penix.
Penix is in the second year of his four-year, $22,384,370 contract that included a $13,099,542 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.
In 2025, Penix appeared in nine games for the Falcons and completed 60.1 percent of his pass attempts for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
We’ll have more on the Falcons’ QB situation as the news becomes available.
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