Michael Penix Jr. has been one of the hottest topics of the offseason where the Falcons are concerned. Many have questioned whether or not he’ll be at 100 percent in time for training camp.
That’s important not only for the Falcons as a team, but for his personal future, as he prepares to compete with Tua Tagovailoa for the starting quarterback position in Atlanta. How that plays out remains to be seen, but Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan recently gave a positive update on Penix.
However, nothing is absolute just yet.
âI never went through an ACL, but thereâs certain milestones that youâve got to hit, and the closer you get, the more variability there is because the intensity and the speed picks up,” Ryan said during an interview on 680 The Fan. Mikeâs in a good spot right now.
We donât really know what to expect at the beginning of training camp. But I think with the way both of those guys are working and the conversations weâve had with both of them about â I believe quarterbacks should be the most competitive people on your team. Whether thatâs first, second, or third, thereâs a way to go out there and compete and win the day… I think the way both those guys have started the offseason will put us in a good spot.â
GettyAtlanta Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan
Penix suffered a torn left ACL against the Carolina Panthers last season that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the year while veteran Kirk Cousins took his place. In addition to the long recovery time and aftereffects of this injury, there are further concerns given Penix’s injury history.
Michael Penix Jr’s Extensive Injury History
Penix has been dealing with recurring injuries since 2018, when he was a freshman at Indiana. The quarterback lasted just three games, though not as a starter, before he suffered a season-ending ACL tear that October.
The year of 2019 held further problematic issues, when he dislocated his SC joint in his non-throwing shoulder in November of that season. That wasn’t quite as concerning, at least looking at things from a long-term perspective, considering it affected his right shoulder.
That would be a bigger issue for most quarterbacks, since most are right-handed, but Penix is among the minority who are left-handed. But in 2020, pure disaster struck for Penix yet again after the signal-caller’s career was tracking on a major upswing.
GettyFalcons QB Michael Penix Jr. attempts a pass.
Indiana was lucky to get to have a football season at all during the COVID era. The year started off well for both Penix and the Hoosiers, as the quarterback quickly made himself an underdog Heisman Trophy candidate after he passed for 14 touchdowns over five games. But all of his progress came to a halt when Penix tore his ACL yet again.
To make matters even worse, it was his right ACL… the same one he had torn before. In 2021, as luck would have it, Penix sustained additional injuries. Another season-ending injury struck, this time an AC sprain in his throwing shoulder.
Michael Penix Jr.’s Long-Term Future In Question
Penix would eventually transfer and find new life with the Washington Huskies, where he went on a run that would see him overcome all of his past issues and become a first-round pick whom the Falcons would select eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While he’s had flashes for the Falcons and elevated them in some ways that Cousins could not, eventually earning the starting job, his continued injury-proneness in the NFL has made some leery of how much longevity he’ll have.
It’s also well known that quarterbacks typically never fully recover after major injuries — especially when they occur in multiples, as Penix has endured.
We’ll know sooner rather than later whether Penix can get over this hump, as he has so many times before. But it’s easy to get the sense that one can only luck out so many times.
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