The Atlanta Falcons had a rough showing offensively in a 20-13 Week 1 loss to the Steelers. Atlanta's lone touchdown drive came on a short field via a fumble, and Cooper Rush struggled immensely. With Michael Penix Jr. ruled out and Tua Tagovailoa doubtful, Rush is set to start again in the Falcons' home opener against the Panthers.
While fans want to see Penix taje the field, especially after how Rush looked against Pittsburgh, everyone will have to wait at least another week. Atlanta's chaotic quarterback situation is making one thing more clear: it should heavily consider picking a QB in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
It's been a long road back from last season's torn ACL for Penix, an injury that has impacted his availability to start 2026. He was a full participant in practice again this week, but it won't translate to playing for the second week in a row. Now it's understandable to be cautious with Penix, especially given his injury history. With that being said, the massive durability concerns make it tough to fully trust Penix long-term.
The Atlanta Falcons are bound to draft a quarterback in the 2027 Draft
Once he returns to the field, Michael Penix Jr. needs to establish himself as a franchise quarterback this season, which he can't do until he returns. The lack of consistent availability, combined with pedestrian production when he has played, isn't inspiring much optimism. Penix is 4-8 through 12 career starts and has completed 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six picks.
The Falcons have four quarterbacks on the active roster, but Penix is the only one who has a realistic shot of being a franchise signal-caller. It's looking less and less likely that he will live up to his top-ten pick pedigree. Penix should start when healthy, but it's uncertain when that will be.
If Atlanta doesn't have the answer under center on its active roster, drafting a quarterback is obvious. Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski aren't putting all of their eggs in Penix's basket, since he was drafted by the previous regime. The 2027 QB class should be excellent, and the Falcons should have several viable options to choose from.
Stefanski knows firsthand what happens when you don't have an established quarterback from his time in Cleveland. He certainly doesn't want to repeat that process in Atlanta. The Falcons also have to decide whether to pick up Penix's fifth-year option or not, and determine if they want to commit to him in the long run.
To this point, Penix hasn't given Atlanta any reason to allocate a large chunk of its salary cap to him, and that will remain the case as long as he's out. It's not impossible that Penix will prove himself whenever he returns; after all, there's a lot of football left to play.
Penix's injury history means he has to perform well enough to offset the durability concerns. It's one thing to be productive enough to warrant belief when you're consistently on the field; it's another thing when it's hard to trust your quarterback's availability.
While it's not a foregone conclusion that the Falcons will use their first-round pick on a quarterback, it's looking like a greater possibility with the 2024 eighth-overall pick missing the first two games of the season.
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