For all of the talk about Michael Penix Jr. possibly making his season debut this week, quarterback isn't the only unanswered question the Atlanta Falcons have to deal with this week. After the 34-3 loss against the Carolina Panthers, injuries have stripped them down to brittle bones at key positions.
The Falcons lost starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor due to a rib injury, and his status for Thursday's primetime clash at Lambeau Field is up in the air. And given both Penix and Tua Tagovailoa are left-handed, right tackle is the blindside spot, meaning they could start the year without their top blind side guy. That's one way to feel confident about your QB1 staying protected.
And if Taylor misses this game, Atlanta will be scrambling for production on the right side. Their most likely option would be Michael Jerrell, who took the first-team snaps when he left the game, but the other option is rookie tackle Ethan Onianwa--who will likely be making his NFL debut on Thursday.
Ethan Onianwa may play a key role in the Atlanta Falcons' Week 3 game
The Falcons drafted Onianwa in the seventh round of the 2026 Draft out of Ohio State, where they seemed to perceive him as more of a long-term developmental swing. They hoped Bill Callahan would work his magic on a player who would be the perfect swing tackle if he was coached up correctly.
Here's the thing though: the 23-year-old wasn't great in the preseason, he didn't play a single snap in the opener, and was a healthy inactive against the Panthers. He has no regular season reps to his name, so going from this to being an injury away from starting on primetime is quite the test.
Talk about a way to make your NFL debut. Onianwa would be thrown right into the fire, just like Jack Strand was. It would be against a Packers' pass rush that is one of the best in the NFL in one of the toughest places to play while possibly being asked to keep Michael Penix Jr. upright if this is his season debut. That doesn't exactly sound like the recipe for a great debut--but that's this league.
And eve though the Green Bay pass rush will be without Micah Parsons, that's still a tough matchup for a guy with this little experience. Onianwa got bullied by Jonathon Cooper in the preseason, so a defensive line tied for the second-most sacks may see not just the rook crumble, but the whole OL.
At 6-foot-6 and 333 pounds, Ethan Onianwa has the size to make an impact at the NFL level, but the technique and experience are still a work in progress. The good news is that the Packers game may be our first chance to evaluate him, but nobody wants another backup tackle to injure Penix again.
The NFL is a next-man up game, and with it being a short week, there's a real possibility Jawaan Taylor's rib issue holds him out on Thursday. And if that's the case, Ethan Onianwa better prepare to make his debut, even if it'll initially be as Michael Jerrell's backup--at least at first.
Add us as a preferred source on Google