When Michael Penix Jr. suffered a partially-torn ACL in Week 11 of the 2025 season, Atlanta Falcons fans were devastated. The presumed face of the franchise who was already known to have a concerning injury history suffered another major knee injury that would almost certainly put the nail in the coffin for his future in Atlanta, especially as a QB battle looms this summer.
But with each passing day, not only does he ramp up more, the more he reminds Falcons fans why Terry Fontenot took him with the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Penix has been throwing since mid-March and his mechanics have looked way better compared to what we saw earlier in his career.
You can give the 26-year-old credit: he knows what his body can and cannot handle. But Penix is finally in a system catered to his strengths under Kevin Stefanski, and the coaching staff is doing more to further his development, and QBs coach Alex Van Pelt deserves his flowers in that area.
Alex Van Pelt is the reason for Michael Penix Jr.'s improved mechanics
With the third-year signal-caller returning from such a significant injury, the Falcons' priority has been for him to get healthy. For him just to get back on the field and throwing, and he's making good headway. But because of Van Pelt, Penix has a real shot to be the Week 1 starting quarterback.
Penix has openly admitted that he has changed nothing mechanics-wise since the injury, but the eye test suggests otherwise. Videos from OTAs have seen his footwork look better and his throwing motion look more fluid, which has to be a credit of working with a true mechanics guru like Van Pelt.
The 56-year-old has a wealth of experience working with some of the best quarterbacks the NFL has to offer. Van Pelt was Stefanski's offensive coordinator in Cleveland from 2020 until 2023, and was successful in that role, but he was fired because he reportedly didn't mesh well with Deshaun Watson.
Afterward, Van Pelt was hired as the OC of the Patriots in Drake Maye's rookie season. But he also spent 2025 as a senior offensive assistant under Sean McVay in Los Angeles. working with future MVP Matthew Stafford. But he's also worked with guys like Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton as well.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the Falcons are better off having Van Pelt as the QBs coach. D.J. Williams had a close relationship with Penix, but he didn't know how to coach him. But MPJ still has to beat out Tua Tagovailoa to be the Week 1 starter, and a true QB guru like Van Pelt has him looking like he can turn his career around.
Under Zac Robinson, the Dirty Birds tried to fit a round peg in a square hole. The Washington product was lining up in the shotgun and play-action plays were hardly called, but now with Stefanski, Van Pelt, and Tommy Rees overseeing his development, Penix is in for a major bounce-back year in 2026.
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