Penix, whom the Falcons selected with the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, surprisingly didn’t start Atlanta’s preseason contest against the Ravens on Saturday. Penix is expected to be the backup to veteran Kirk Cousins, who signed with Atlanta as a free agent over the offseason.
Last week, Penix started the Falcons’ first preseason matchup against the Dolphins. Across five series, Penix completed 9-of-16 passes for 104 yards.
"Mike showed us [vs. the Dolphins] last week enough that we don't have to play him again in the preseason,” Morris told reporters Saturday.
"Mike showed us last week enough that we don't have to play him in the preseason."
— Justin Felder (@Justin_FOX5) August 17, 2024
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Here's Falcons head coach Raheem Morris' full answer on why the team did not play Michael Penix Jr. today pic.twitter.com/HSnSffOY66
Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot then spent the offseason defending their decision to select Penix after already signing Cousins, indicating that they have planned to start Cousins in 2024.
However, resting the rookie after his first preseason start suggests there's a possibility Penix could be in line to start for Atlanta when the regular season begins.
This is very surprising to me! If the plan is that he doesn’t play for a couple of years — and that’s how the plan has been presented by the Falcons’ brass — then every single preseason snap should be hugely valuable! https://t.co/Bkyrd9fQdS
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) August 17, 2024
Penix is listed at DraftKings at +7500 to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, well behind the favorite: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, whose odds are +135.
Earlier this week, Cousins — who last appeared in Week 8 last season when he tore his Achilles against the Packers — stated that he would like to play at some point this preseason. Cousins has worked with the Falcons' first-team offense throughout training camp and rotated reps with Penix during two joint practices with the Dolphins ahead of their preseason game last week.
Cousins is expected to have a big season for a win-now Falcons team that added defensive stars Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons this week. Atlanta's over/under win total is set at 9.5, with -135 odds to go over and +115 to finish under. Cousins is tied for the seventh-best odds (+110) to throw for 4,000 yards this season.
