Michael Penix Jr. gets his potential return date

Such a quick return timeline does raise some questions about Tua Tagovailoa, who had been named the Week 1 starter before an injury forced him out of action. If Penix can play in Week 2 and the Falcons go right back to him, Tagovailoa may never even get the chance to suit up for the Falcons during a regular season game.

By Penix’s own admission, he did not feel physically ready to go in Week 1, and told the team as much. It is reasonable to assume that the Falcons would have started him if he had. Cooper Rush will get the nod in Week 1 with Tagovailoa sidelined due to an oblique injury, so getting Penix back for Week 2 would certainly be convenient from Atlanta’s point of view.

Penix has played in 14 games over his first two NFL seasons. He has thrown for 2,757 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, and has a 4-8 record as a starter for Atlanta.