Michael Penix Jr. throwing at rookie minicamp was another small but good sign for his recovery

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 16: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons throws the ball during the NFL 2025 game between Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images) | Getty Images

First, Michael Penix Jr. was spotted dancing at his wedding. Then he tossed some passes at Falcons rookie minicamp. The logical next step is dropping 350 yards in Week 1.

I kid, but we’ve been looking for concrete good signs about Penix’s recovery given that it’s a significant ACL injury to return from and the team has been upbeat but vague about the young quarterback’s timeline. Seeing him moving and throwing in early-to-mid May is not the same as seeing him dealing with a pass rush or throwing on the move in preseason action, but it is telling us he’s avoiding setbacks and tracking toward being ready to get out there and compete by, if not mandatory minicamp in June, then training camp in late July.

That’s key for Penix, who has a world-class arm, two years and a fifth year option left on his rookie deal, and a chance to still prove that he’s the franchise quarterback in Atlanta for an entirely new regime. What stands between him and that latter lofty goal is good health and progress after an up-and-down 2025 that the ACL tear ended prematurely, so the sooner he can get back out there and look good, the better. As I wrote earlier this month, his future is very up in the air and the unknowns outweigh the knowns to this point, which means Tua Tagovailoa has a real leg up on the starting job until Penix forces the team to consider him.