The quarterback situation for the Atlanta Falcons has been a huge question mark ever since Matt Ryan was traded back in March 2022. Currently, the starting job resides with Michael Penix Jr. and likely will for the rest of the 2026 season, barring another significant injury.
However, ESPN’s Ben Solak likes the idea of Atlanta signing current Seattle Seahawks' quarterback Drew Lock in 2027 as a bridge quarterback to replace Penix.
For Falcons fans, seeing Penix take the field at Lambeau Field in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers was a sign of relief. At that point, a return of Jeff George, even at 58 years old, may have been welcomed, though. But despite throwing an interception on the opening possession, Penix settled in and Atlanta routed Green Bay 35-14 to pick up their first win of the season.
Things looked even better the next week against the New Orleans Saints on the road. In a hostile environment celebrating the anniversary of the Saints’ return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, it would have been easy for Atlanta to fold to their arch rival. Instead, Penix’s second start continued to fuel the team, and they evened things out at 2-2 on the season with a 45-24 victory over the Saints.
All it took was two games for everyone to be swindled into believing Penix was the answer. And here’s the thing: Who’s to say he’s not? Are the former first-rounder’s 19 starts really enough to judge for a staff that’s only been there for nine games?
That’s what Kevin Stefanski, Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan all have to figure out. But going after Lock should not be in the equation.
The Atlanta Falcons need to see things through with Michael Penix Jr. over Drew Lock
Solak credited Lock’s tape this season, saying he’s “trusting his eyes and feet, in timing with the route, better than I can ever remember him doing. Look at some of these throws!” But he also specifically pointed out a potential fit in Atlanta.
"In a Kyle Shanahan-inspired system that asks a golden-armed pocket passer to just grip it and rip it into middle-of-the-field windows, Lock feels eminently playable," Solak wrote. "I love his fit with the Falcons, as he could bring much of what Michael Penix Jr . has this season but with better mobility and better accuracy from unsure throwing platforms."
To be fair, Lock has been good in limited work this season. Filling in for Sam Darnold, he’s completed 54 of 76 passes (71.1%) for 597 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in three games, two of them starts, and Seattle has won all three.
So, what? Why on earth would he need to come to Atlanta as a bridge guy? At this point, I say bridges need to be burned to the ground. The Falcons need to be heavily invested in finding their next franchise guy. That being said, it either needs to be Penix or the Falcons’ 2027 first-round pick.
Adding Lock, and putting Penix in yet another quarterback competition for the third straight year, does nothing for Atlanta except repeat the mistakes of seemingly the last nine years.
If the Falcons need a bridge quarterback, it’s Penix. If by season’s end he hasn’t improved the position, which, if he stays healthy, would give him a total of 27 career starts, then all eyes turn to finding his replacement in the 2027 draft.
The difference between Michael Penix Jr.'s first two starts vs. his last two is huge
The difference between Penix’s first two starts and his last two is hard to ignore. In wins over Green Bay and New Orleans, Penix completed 33 of 45 passes (73.3%) for 479 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Atlanta went 2-0 and scored 80 points.
In losses to Tampa Bay and Cincinnati in Weeks 8 and 9, he completed 28 of 55 passes (50.9%) for 287 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. Atlanta went 0-2 and scored 17 points.
Granted, the Tampa Bay game was played in a downpour, so the 8-of-24, four-interception afternoon isn’t all on him. But Madrid was under a closed roof, and 162 passing yards wasn’t much better.
The Falcons don’t need Lock to figure out which version of Penix is real. They have eight games left to find out. If Penix looks like the quarterback from Lambeau and the Superdome, Atlanta has its answer, and it didn’t take a two-year, $32.5 million deal, which is what Solak projects Lock would cost.
If he looks like the quarterback from Tampa and Madrid, the wins aren’t going to come either. At 3-6, the Falcons would need to go 6-2 just to finish with a winning record, and a quarterback with five interceptions in his last two games isn’t getting them there.
Every loss pushes Atlanta higher in the 2027 Draft order, which means more quarterback options and less need to give up picks to trade up for one. Either way, the answer has to come from Michael Penix Jr. or the upcoming draft, not from a 30-year-old backup on his third franchise.
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