Let the speculation begin.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. isn’t playing in the team’s second 2024 preseason game, at Baltimore. Via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com, the Falcons say it’s not an injury issue but a coach’s decision.
It will be interesting to hear coach Raheem Morris explain the decision after the game. With Penix presumably destined to ride the bench in 2024, why not give him live reps now?
One explanation: The Falcons got freaked out by the J.J. McCarthy season-ending knee injury. With so many starters not playing, why put Penix in harm’s way?
Another: The Falcons don’t want a second strong showing from Penix, the eighth overall pick in the draft, to spark a potential groundswell in or out of the locker room, now or early in the regular season, to elevate Penix over Kirk Cousins.
Yet another: The Falcons have already decided to make Penix the Week 1 starter, and they’re protecting him.
We don’t know what the official explanation will be. We do know that official explanations don’t typically mesh with reality. Regardless, it’ll be Taylor Heinicke and John Paddock on Saturday.