After being cleared to practice four days ago, Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski told reporters that Michael Penix Jr. won't play in the final preseason game, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Tua Tagovailoa will be the starting QB on Friday, as three practices are too soon for Penix Jr. to return to game action.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Penix Still Has A Shot
Before going down with a season-ending ACL tear in Week 11 last season, Penix Jr. was producing 15.1 fantasy points per game. By season's end, his point-per-game production ranked 24th among all QBs.
Heading into his third season, the Falcons signed another QB in Tagovailoa during free agency.
Yet, despite an underwhelming second season from Penix Jr. that ended early and caused him to miss nearly all of the following training camp, the team hasn't announced who their starting QB will be to kick off the 2026 campaign.
That likely says more about Tagovailoa, who's coming off the lowest-scoring season of his career, than it does about Penix Jr.
