The new brass taking over in Atlanta has thrust speculation about the future at quarterback, where Michael Penix Jr. continues to rehab from an ACL tear.
After taking over the organization, Falcons president Matt Ryan gave a lukewarm assessment of Penix, declining to commit to the third-year pro. The former Pro Bowl quarterback seems to be warming up to the idea.
Speaking recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Ryan said that Penix must first get healthy, and the club believes he's on a good pace in rehab.
"I have had the opportunity to sit with Michael and, you know, No. 1, how do we bring him along? You get healthy first," Ryan said. "The first thing you've got to do is get yourself in a place where we can practice and do that. So, job No. 1 for Michael is to keep doing exactly what he's doing. He's been in our building doing his rehab. He's in a good place right now.
"As a former player, like, it never leaves me. Everybody's like, 'When is he going to be back?' Well, you don't know. There's ups and downs that come with that rehab space, but we feel like we're on track and in a good space with Michael right now."
Ryan then got into how the team will help Penix improve after he struggled during 2025, completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards (220.2 per game), nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine starts before suffering the ACL tear. The team president underscored the addition of veteran QB coach Alex Van Pelt to Kevin Stefanski's staff as a major boon for Penix's future.
"How do you help him improve? No. 1, it starts with surrounding him with really solid coaches," Ryan said. "I'm excited about Alex Van Pelt coming in. He's a good football coach. Coming in, you talk about the wealth of experience that he has for a young player like Michael. I think that's really good. You go to the fundamentals; to me, it always comes down to the fundamentals. Do we start with our feet? I know in that interview process, Alex is going to hammer the footwork and going to hammer getting the basics right. So, it starts with the basics.
"Michael does a great job. He can spin the football. We're excited about what he does and we're excited about the staff we're putting around him."
Ryan highlighting Penix's footwork is key. During the 2025 campaign, the second-year signal-caller got wonky too many times with his lower half, particularly when he saw pressure looks, leading to a trove of wayward passes. Whether the previous coaching staff couldn't help build the young player to overcome those moments or potential improvement was waylaid by the latest knee injury is irrelevant at this point. The new staff will be tasked with ensuring the first-round pick with the big arm doesn't fall apart due to poor mechanics.
Given Penix's continued rehab, the Falcons will enter free agency with questions under center. Kirk Cousins' reworked contract is expected to make him a free agent -- even as sides haven't ruled out the veteran remaining in ATL another season. Whether it's Cousins or another veteran, Ryan and Co. will need to add a proven passer to aid in Penix's development and be ready to step in if the youngster's game falters.
