4 Clear winners from Atlanta Falcons 2024 preseason debut

1. Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback wasn't perfect, but the debut went as well as reasonably could have been expected. The rookie got the ball out quickly and showed an impressive ability to read the field and make decisions. Yes, there were missed reads but the rookie flashed his arm and looked the part of a future franchise quarterback.

As much as the plays that Penix made stood out so did his misses. If Penix missed it was out of reach of defenders and giving his players a chance. One example of this was when Penix dealt with an unblocked rusher and threw a pass into the endzone where only his back could make a play.

The poise and ability to make this quick decision and unload the ball was impressive. While you would hope Penix develops into a quarterback who can make that play many would simply freeze or underthrow the ball fading away from contact.

What made the rookie's debut exciting was a combination of little things that showed why the Falcons are so excited about the quarterback. With the obvious highlight being a perfect deep ball to Chris Blair. A throw no quarterback on last year's roster would have made.