It was two years ago that the Atlanta Falcons made the surprising move to draft quarterback Michael Penix in the first round in the same offseason they inked veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Penix has struggled with both his consistency and his health, and Falcons President Matt Ryan is making it known that Penix needs to get healthy before the franchise can make a final call on him, one way or another.
“I have had the opportunity to sit with Michael, and number one, how do we bring him along? You get healthy first,” Ryan said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “The first thing you’ve got to do is get yourself in a place where we can practice and do that. So, job number one 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. . . . 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 and the Falcons still believe Penix can be a starter in the league, and plan to surround him with the requisite talent for him to grow.
“How do you help him improve? Number one, it starts with surrounding him with really solid coaches,” Ryan said. “I’m excited about [Falcons quarterbacks coach] 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. . . . 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.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Penix can win the starting job once he’s healthy.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.