Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. shares injury update

As had been expected, first-year Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Wednesday that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will start the club's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos this coming Friday. 

Meanwhile, 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. has still not yet been fully cleared for 11-on-11 team sessions as he works to recover from the surgery he needed last fall to repair a partially torn ACL. On Wednesday, Penix suggested that he isn't far away from receiving the clearance he needs to possibly compete for the Week 1 QB1 job.

Michael Penix Jr. can do "just about anything but" this amid injury recovery

"Feeling good. Getting better every day," Penix said, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "It’s just like I expected. Just doing everything I can to get back to where I want to be. ...I can do just about anything but take a hit, and that’s what we’re trying to stay away from right now." 

It remains unknown if Penix will be cleared in time to play in the Falcons' game at the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 22. That said, Tagovailoa presumably could win the starting job if he produces a stellar performance against the Broncos. 

Is Michael Penix Jr. concerned about his worrisome injury history? 

The fact that Penix suffered two ACL tears before he was drafted understandably caused some to wonder years ago if he would be able to remain healthy as an NFL starter. Thus far, he has done little to silence such concerns, and he acknowledged on Wednesday that he needs to get to a "worry-free" state as it pertains to his injury history. 

"It’s in your mind," Penix explained. "I’ve been through it two times already, so I know what I’m going to be going through. I know the mental aspect of it. It’s like, 'Yeah, I am healthy,' but it’s like, 'OK, do I trust that?' I went and saw the doctor before camp started. He was like, 'This is an amazing ACL. You should never have any more knee problems for the rest of your career.' That’s word-for-word what he told me, so it’s like, 'I hear that. Do I trust that?' It’s more so having that confidence in it and not worrying about it. Injuries happen in football. At the same time, you don’t want it to happen again. So, it’s like I’ve got to get out of my mind, 'What if it happens again,' and just go out there and just play." 

Penix may want to "just go out there and just play," but it remains to be seen if he'll receive an opportunity to do so before the Falcons wrap their preseason up with a matchup at the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 28.