Michael Penix Jr. is making strides toward being ready for the 2026 NFL season.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters at the beginning of organized team activities on Tuesday that Penix is able to participate in most drills but will be held out of team work (11-on-11s).
"You'll see today. Mike's been doing a very good job, like I've told you guys since the beginning," Stefanski said. "His main focus is getting healthy, and he's doing that. With that, he's able to do more and more football at the direction of our medical staff, so we've been working hand in hand with what that looks like. So, you'll see Mike out there in individual, you'll see him in the 7-on-7s. He is not doing team periods yet, but that time is coming."
OTAs mark the first step toward real practices, with Phase 3 of the offseason program allowing for 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Contact, however, is not permitted.
Penix is coming off his third ACL tear, with two occurring in college.
"I feel like myself," Penix told reporters Tuesday, adding he's been throwing since mid-March. "I feel great. I feel really good right now. I just say, 'As long as nobody falls into my leg right now.'
"I feel like I'm right where I need to be."
After flashing down the stretch of his rookie season, Penix was named the Day 1 starter in Year 2, but he struggled with his accuracy, particularly under pressure, and the offense looked wonky at times. He suffered the ACL tear in Week 11 after starting nine tilts. He finished with 1,982 yards and nine touchdowns to three interceptions with a 60.1 completion rate in 276 attempts in 2025.
The Falcons inked fellow lefty Tua Tagovailoa after he was released from Miami this offseason to compete for the starting gig. Before that competition takes full flight, the Falcons must first get Penix fully healthy.
While the third-year pro won't yet participate in team drills, Stefanski said the quarterbacks will rotate first-team reps in all the other activities.
"Very intentionally," he said of how he plans to split reps. "I think it's our job, I think [offensive coordinator] Tommy Rees does an outstanding job of making sure that we're intentional about how we want this to operate. One guy will be up first one period and then switch with the next period and rotate every single day in really almost every drill 鈥� because the truth is we're trying to get the best version of all of our players, so we want to mix and match guys in different spots."
Penix said the "goal" remains to play Week 1 but denied that his QB battle with Tagovailoa brought a renewed sense of urgency.
"I'm running my own race. I can't look in another lane," Penix said. "At the same time, we are working together. That's what it's all about -- working together and helping each other finish the race. Obviously, we want to come out on top, as far as this team."
With Penix taking a step forward, the next benchmark will be whether he can take part in team drills during mandatory minicamp, June 16-18.
