If you're worried about the Atlanta Falcons rushing Michael Penix Jr. back from injury this summer, you must not be very well-versed on what's going on in the NFL world currently--since Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are saying "hold my beer" amid his recovery from an ACL tear.
Penix tore his ACL in mid-November, but the Falcons are being cautious in his rehab because they know it's his third ACL tear in the last seven years. And given his history of lower leg injuries, they appear comfortable starting Tua Tagovailoa in Week 1 to give the young QB more time to get healthy.
And it's for that reason that the 26-year-old has yet to be cleared for full contact entering training camp as far as we know. Atlanta is set to kick off summer practices on July 29, where a QB battle is set to begin--but Kevin Stefanski knows better than to bite off more than he can chew with Penix.
Michael Penix Jr. is at a better spot in his rehab than Patrick Mahomes is
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are being reckless with arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. Compared to Penix, who tore his ACL a month earlier, Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and his UCL in mid-December (Week 15), which means he's currently only seven months removed from reconstructive ACL surgery.
However, the Chiefs have already cleared the two-time MVP to participate in practice once training camp kicks off. And not only that, they have cleared him to fully participate, which is different from Penix, who's injury was less severe but has yet to take any 11-on-11 reps since suffering his injury.
Andy Reid must be petrified of the idea of having to start Justin Fields against the Denver Broncos in Week 1 if he's rushing Mahomes back like this. We all saw how that ended last time. But it seems like Kansas City is playing it much more fast-and-loose with their QB's recovery than the Dirty Birds are.
It's hard to blame the Chiefs when Fields is the alternative, but this doesn't feel like the most responsible choice. What good does rushing the six-time Pro Bowler back do you? All of this to prevent an early losing streak will end up doing more harm than good. This is how players get re-injured, and playing him at less than 100% means it'll take even more time for him to be himself again.
Here's what we need to remember: outside of the Broncos, the Chiefs have an incredibly favorable draw to start the season. Their next three games are the Colts, Dolphins, and Raiders, so the smart play from Kansas City would be to place Mahomes on PUP and give him the four weeks to recover.
The good news here is that if the three-time Super Bowl champion has already been cleared, Michael Penix Jr. should be cleared for full contact in the coming days. But the good news is that Falcons fans should be encouraged with how their staff is handling him compared to Patrick Mahomes in KC.
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