Michael Penix: Everything you need to know

Falcons GM Ian Cunningham confirmed Friday that the team is bringing in Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Penix (knee) for the starting quarterback role, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports. Tagovailoa has agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons and will join the team if he passes his physical. Both Penix and Tua are left-handed quarterbacks who have dealt with numerous injuries. Penix underwent surgery in November to repair a partially torn ACL in his left knee, but he's aiming to be healthy ahead of Week 1. Once healthy, Penix is slated to compete with Tagovailoa for the starting job.

Penix (knee) won't necessarily be Atlanta's starting quarterback once he's healthy, as new addition Tua Tagovailoa will get a real chance to earn the role, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports. It looks like a good situation for Tagovailoa to rehab his value while Penix rehabs from the third ACL tear of his football career. Both are left-handed, theoretically making things easier for new head coach Kevin Stefanski, after his predecessors in Atlanta went back-and-forth between Penix and the right-handed Kirk Cousins for two years. That was hardly the only issue with Atlanta's passing game, as neither QB played particularly well, and WR depth was among the worst in the league. The Falcons are now signing WRs Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to replace Darnell Mooney, but it'll be a while before Penix throws passes to his new teammates. Tagovailoa figures to handle first-team reps throughout the offseason program and into training camp, at the very least. Beyond that, a lot will depend on health, with both lefties sporting poor track records for availability.

Penix (knee) said Wednesday he "look[s] forward to being back Week 1," but he added "we'll see" and noted that Atlanta's medical staff will have "the last word" on his recovery timetable, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Penix mentioned his familiarity with the process of rehabbing from ACL tears, as he suffered similar injuries twice during his collegiate career, both to his right knee. Currently, Penix is rehabbing from a torn left ACL for which he underwent surgery Nov. 25, roughly 9.5 months prior to Week 1 of the 2026 campaign. That places Week 1 squarely within the typical 9-to-12-month recovery timetable for ACL tears, albeit on the earlier end of the scale. Per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site, new head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Penix already has resumed "attacking his rehab" at the team's training facility. Stefanski expressed excitement about Penix as "a young player who will continue to develop and continue to get better." Meanwhile, veteran Kirk Cousins is the only other quarterback under contract with Atlanta for 2026, though he reworked his deal with the team in early January in a maneuver that likely will result in either another restructure or his release prior to March 13, per Field Yates of ESPN.