Now that the Atlanta Falcons have released Kirk Cousins, the next step is evaluating where they stand at the quarterback position. They definitely need to add a veteran like Joe Flacco to the QB room, but they evidently believe in Michael Penix Jr. to turn things around after a rocky start to his NFL career.
Ideally, Penix is the long-term answer at QB, but there are still some red flags in the short-term. His health status is incredibly worrisome another another partially torn ACL, but then again, the Falcons wouldn't have released Cousins if they didn't comfortable about where Penix stands in his recovery.
The 25-year-old suffered a season-ending partially torn ACL in Week 11 against the Panthers, which provided a major setback in his development. That injury, which was suffered in November, came with a nine-month recovery timeline, potentially jeopardizing his hopes of returning for Week 1 in 2026.
However, the 2024 first-round pick has been through the motions of ACL recovery before, and is apparently doing well in his rehab. The expectation was always that he would be good to return in time for Week 1, and releasing Cousins confirms that he's in a good place despite the circumstances.
Michael Penix Jr. is practically guaranteed to be back in time for Week 1 for the Falcons now
The Washington product has shown flashes of the QB he can be, but was inconsistent due to play-calling. Thankfully, Zac Robinson is gone and Penix is expected to take a major leap now that Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees are leading the offense, but getting back on the field is the first step.
Penix has suffered three ACL tears since the start of his college career, which is beyond alarming, but the good news is that they're turning him into RoboCop with all of these surgeries. All jokes aside, we're lucky that he understands the rehab process and knows what his body can and can't handle.
Penix himself has even confirmed that he's in a good place physically and feels good about his chances of being ready for Week 1. If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. I'm no doctor, but I'm gonna trust the guy who has been in this position far more than the average person ever has.
Cousins would have been the best option to start in Week 1 had the strong-armed lefty not been ready, but Ian Cunningham's logic is sound. Cutting him not only saves money, but presents a united front behind Penix even though speculation about him not being the franchise QB has run rampant.
And now that we know that Penix is well on his way to making a full recovery, hopefully he is able to catch up in learning the new offense and getting acquainted with Stefanski sooner rather than later.