Michael Penix Jr. is on NFL.com's List of Key Young Players to Watch

The Atlanta Falcons made headlines during the NFL Draft for attempting to reconstruct their defense. Those headlines were a temporary distraction from the main plot point of  Michael Penix Jr. replacing Kirk Cousins under center.

Just how much head coach Raheem Morris gets from Penix and his offense will likely answer any playoff questions the Falcons have this year. 

NFL.com agreed when their analyst Jeffri Chadiha compiled their eight young NFL players whose development could help propel their teams in 2025. Penix came in No. 7 on key young players who are relative unknowns who will be crucial to their team’s success.

“Penix is the player tasked with helping the Falcons break a seven-year playoff drought,” wrote Chadiha on NFL.com.  “Penix didn’t do anything breathtaking in his three starts -- he completed 58 percent of his passes for 737 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions as Atlanta went 1-2 -- but he also didn’t do anything to make people think he couldn’t mature into a reliable leader.”

What Penix did show in his three game cameo last season was tantalizing arm talent that can hopefully unlock the Falcons’ bevy of weapons across 17 games. 

“There is still plenty to like about the situation that Atlanta is dropping him into this fall,” Chadiha continued. “The Falcons have a strong backfield (Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier), talented receivers (Drake London produced 100 receptions in 2024, while Darnell Mooney amassed 992 receiving yards) and a solid offensive line.

“These are the types of assets franchises need to put around young quarterbacks, and the Falcons invested heavily in their defense by drafting two edge rushers in the first round in April. He doesn’t have to morph into Patrick Mahomes. He just needs to avoid the devastating turnovers that plagued Cousins in the second half of last season and lead this team into the postseason.”

Truth is, Penix will still experience some of the inevitable ups and downs that any first-year starter goes through. However, Penix is in an enviable position knowing he can lean on his running game. 

Furthermore, getting first team reps in OTAs and training camp will be absolutely golden as far as Penix is concerned, it was obviously an advantage he didn't have last season.

Getting on the same page as London and Mooney should give the Zac Robinson led offense a running start for what is a particularly brutal slate of games to start the new season.

While Chadiha certainly isn't telling Falcons fans anything they didn't already know; his suggestion that the Falcons won't be asking Penix to somehow morph into the second coming of Patrick Mahomes is accurate.

In order to manage the ongoing development of Penix properly, Morris will need to load him with just the right amount of detail and expectations for his first campaign as the starter in Atlanta. 

The Falcons will need to lean on established offensive playmakers and a rebuilt pass rush in order to maximize the potential of their new young quarterback.