The more that Michael Penix Jr. continues to ramp up in his recovery from a partially-torn ACL, the more complicated the Atlanta Falcons' QB controversy becomes. For as many questions as his looming return has answered, twice as many questions have popped up. It's weirdly paradoxical.
All we know is that once he is cleared for 11 on 11s, Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons are set to embark on a quarterback battle between Penix and Tua Tagovailoa. The thing is, we don't know when that will be. He's progressing and is on a good timeline, but he still has yet to be cleared for 11 on 11s.
The 26-year-old has been throwing since mid-March and has looked good in 7-on-7s during OTAs, but 11 on 11s is not something this new coaching staff wants to rush him into. And two words was all it took for Stefanski to finally set the record straight on whether or not he'll be cleared for 11 on 11s before or during mandatory minicamp: "We'll see."
Kevin Stefanski exposed more questions than answers with Michael Penix Jr.
Stefanski made it clear that the third-year signal-caller is progressing to the point that being cleared for 11 on 11s is near. However, other than these two words, he didn't shed much light on when his injury clearance could come. It can be as soon as next week, but that timeline is a pretty vague one.
Stefanski revealed before yesterday's practice session that Penix has been "hitting every milestone" the Dirty Birds want him to, but also mentioned that the Falcons gave him a scheduled rest day on Monday. That's some pretty weird timing in the middle of a QB battle, but they clearly don't want to rush anything.
The 2024 first-round pick out of Washington has made just 12 career starts and partially tore his ACL in a Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He went through a total reconstructive ACL surgery in November, and the 6-9 month recovery timeline should put Penix on a trajectory to return in Week 1.
Things felt super cut and dry on the Penix front. The more they ask him to do as the summer progresses, the higher likelihood that he would be good to go for Week 1 (or training camp). But as it often has been with the youngster, the rehab process has been one step forward and two steps back.
Falcons' mandatory minicamp will kick off in exactly a week on Tuesday June 16 and go until Thursday, June 18, so while it's good to know Michael Penix Jr. has a shot to be a full go, all Kevin Stefanski really did is muddy the waters even further.
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