Falcons make another mind-bogglingly dumb move with Michael Penix Jr

The Atlanta Falcons may be riding high off the recent acquisitions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons to fortify their defense, but any conversation surrounding this team will quickly run back to what they did in the NFL Draft. Despite signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract, they used a Top 10 pick on Washington southpaw Michael Penix Jr.

While many were baffled by the decision to draft an older quarterback with knee injuries and sit him on the bench for the first few years of his career, no one doubted that Penix has a terrific arm and great accuracy. He put those traits on display against the Miami Dolphins.

Penix went 9-16 for 104 yards in his first professional action, but it seems like that was all Raheem Morris needed to see from the rookie. Penix did not suit up in Atlanta's second preseason game, a 13-12 loss at the hands of Josh Johnson and the Baltimore Ravens.

Morris decided to sit Penix because he proved his quality to the coaching staff in Week 1 and they didn't need to get any more reps in. Insider Jordan Schultz also added further confirmation, saying that Penix will not

This makes no sense, as Penix is likely going to rot on the bench during his first two years in the league while Cousins takes hold of the starting job. Penix needs all the reps he can get!

Falcons make foolish decision not to play Michael Penix Jr. in preseason

This means one of two things will come true for the Falcons this season, excluding injuries. Either their first-round pick will tally a total of 16 non-garbage-time dropbacks until the 2025 season or he will be playing over a quarterback who signed a $180 million deal in the offseason. This is, safe to say, not ideal.

Even if the Falcons are willing to punt on the first two years of Penix's career due to the guaranteed money in the Cousins contract, how else are they going to decide if Cousins is worth abandoning for Penix without adequate reps? They could have a Trey Lance situation on their hands, and the only way to know that for sure is to let him prove himself on the field.

Penix may be the Falcons' quarterback of the future, but Morris doesn't seem ready to let him shine. While some may claim that he is being rested to avoid injury, wouldn't letting a highly-touted backup show the world what he can do be more informative than a Taylor Heinicke and John Paddock QB3 duel?