5 Biggest concerns facing the Atlanta Falcons heading into the regular season

3. Penix invites a quarterback debate

Already you have portions of the fanbase and hot-take shows suggesting Penix could soon be in the Atlanta lineup. This is part of why the previous concern is noteworthy if Cousins deals with an injury or is showing his age the team could be put in a very awkward position.

The contract Atlanta handed Cousins demands the veteran be the starter for at least the next two seasons. However, this won't stop fans or hot-take artists from suggesting the Falcons put Penix in the lineup after every Cousins miss or interception.

Atlanta's only concern here is if there is any truth in the debate or if it begins in their own building. This is the problem when you draft a quarterback. The promise of an unknown ceiling is always going to be more exciting than a proven veteran.

The only way Atlanta doesn't deal with this at all during the season is if Cousins gets off to a hot start and is one of the ten best quarterbacks in the league. Anything less will result in at least some questioning of his ability and whether or not the team should consider putting the rookie into the lineup.